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| Photo by Amelia Grace Photography |
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10 NIV
The
woman raises her hands in despair. All around her are containers of every shape
and size overflowing with water that continues to drip from the ceiling of her
home. She has just used her last bowl and is exhausted from running back and
forth to the sink emptying the buckets of dirty water streaming through dozens
of holes in the ceiling. Outside, she hears the thunder rumbling again.
“I
give up!” she yells into the empty room. “I can’t deal with this mess anymore! I’m angry, I’m exhausted, and I’m discouraged
and confused about why this is happening.
I need help!”
Suddenly,
she hears a knock at the door. Peeking out, she sees a big, strapping man with
a tool belt around his waist. As she catches a glimpse of His face, her breath
catches in her throat. Something about Him is somehow so comforting and at the
same time dreadful. She opens the door.
“Hello, child. I understand you have a problem. I have come to help.”
Tears
fill her eyes. With a voice full of
emotion she wails, “Would you look at this mess! I am so angry about it—and so weary. I don’t
know what to do or how to fix it. I’ve tried everything I know to do!”
“Are you a repairman, then?”
Embarrassed,
the woman replies, “Well, no…not really. I just hate to bother other people when I have
problems. I thought I could manage. I mean, there was only one small leak when the
rain started.”
“From
the looks of things, daughter, things have been unmanageable for quite some time.
I’m glad you finally decided to call. Now let me take a look around.” Walking through the living and kitchen areas,
He carefully examines the ceiling and structure of the house. As He moves
toward the rear of the house, the woman stops Him.
Obviously
agitated, the woman says, “I would rather you not go back there. That part of
the house is really a mess.”
“Is
there something you do not want me to see, child? Something in your house that you are ashamed
of?”
“It’s
just that I’ve never let anyone into some of those back rooms. And I’m afraid
that you will not want to help me if you see what kind of shape they are in.”
“Actually,
it’s just the opposite. I will not help you if you do not allow me access to
every area of your home. I need to see the big picture here—all of the repairs
that are necessary. So, it’s up to you. I can help you, but you will have to
give me permission to look at everything.”
Looking
at the chaos around her, the woman whispers, “Okay. I know I need help. Do what you need to do.”
Smiling, He says, “That’s my
girl. I was so hoping you would make the right choice.”
Can
you relate to the woman in the story? So
often we believe that we are capable of handling life and all of its problems
on our own. Our hearts bounce between
feelings of pride when things are going well and resentment when we can’t
control our worlds. For all of us who
are His, there comes a day when God, in His mercy, gives us a burden beyond our
strength to carry so that we have no
choice but to cry out to Him for help.
It is on that day that we truly begin our journey of grace with Him. More than anything this journey is a
lifestyle of trust and dependence lived out in a very broken world. Scared?
Tired? Overwhelmed? Hurting?
There is grace for that. Join me
on the journey as we find it with Him.
I haven't missed part 2 have I?
ReplyDeleteYou haven't. Come back Monday for Part 2! :-)
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