Gospel of Grace

Life throws a lot of curve balls.  Being given up at birth is a curve ball for those of us who have experienced it.  Losing a wonderful and beloved parent as a child is a curve ball for those of us who have experienced it.  Divorce is a curve ball for those of us who have experienced it.  Dealing with major illness like cancer or other serious chronic conditions is a curve ball for those of us who have experienced it.  Those are just a few of mine, but I'm sure you can substitute in plenty of your own.

There are a lot of smaller curve balls that life throws our way, too, and surprisingly often, they turn out to be much better than we ever expected.  A job loss can result in the position of your dreams a few months down the road.  Divorce can lead to finding your soul mate, once you recover enough to think clearly again.  Sometimes you need the rain to appreciate the sunlight.

This morning I have been thinking about Romans 8:28.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A lot of things in my life have been hard, confusing, unpredictable, complicated or just plain unexplainable.  But my mother has always told me that God has a plan, and it will all work out.  She has never been wrong.  Every closed door has always led to the unlocking of a door that was previously hidden, until I stopped focusing on the one that wasn't available any more and fully opened my eyes to the possibilities.

For example, I spent a lot of years wondering how God could take away my dad when I was only 12 years old.  He was the best dad, a wonderful man, someone to be proud of.  I needed him, we needed him, and God allowed him to go.  It will never make sense to me.  But as an adult, I have time and time and time again been able to take that hard experience and allow it to help me sit with those who are also grieving and provide comfort in a way that I never would have if not for that experience.  

God doesn't say being a Christian will be problem free.  On the contrary, Christ died on the cross for us at the greatest cost there could be.  But because of his sacrifice, we are freed from the consequences of our own wrong doing if we but repent and ask God to forgive us.  It is the ultimate example of God working for the good of those who love him, no matter how flawed we may be.  The theology of the cross is the crux of being a Lutheran, and its something I choose every day.

Grace is part of the fiber of who I am, forged in the fire of life's various trials.  And that is the good God has worked in me through all the curve balls life has thrown my way.

The next time life throws you a curve, remember that God is in control, God has his plan, and if you are walking in his will, he will some how, some way, take that hard moment and turn it into something that is good. 

Today is Reformation Day in the Lutheran Tradition.  I encourage you to celebrate the Gospel of Grace today and every day.