Grace Wins Every Time

Grace Wins!!

James 1: 2- 4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

 Joy in trials? That almost seems contradictory to Joy. Trails mean pain and suffering, and joy means peace in the situation. How do we find the JOY in trials when it seems sadness always comes with trials. Paul is a great example; he's sitting in prison, stoned, tortured, and beaten yet he writes Grace to you and peace, but where does he say peace comes from? GOD. Even in his circumstances, he sees the need to focus on God, and what God's will has set for him.

Grace is something we get that we don't deserve. Every day Grace seems to fill my life. When it seems I'm too weak to deal with the situations around me, allowing my emotions to direct my life and not relying on God to handle the situations. The Grace that seems to flow when I get upset at situations that consume my life; I always end up on my knees laying it before God knowing I'm not strong enough to carry the load on my own.
Our circumstances can direct us toward Christ or away from Christ, our free will comes into play with that direction. As a woman emotions seem hard to control; they rear their ugly head up when I'm not looking and I'm caught off guard. If I'm not careful I find myself talking harsh words to myself, getting more emotional with each minute on how someone hurt me, or someone disappointed me. Before I know it I'm in this sea of pity party; and angry at someone who doesn't even realize I'm stewing on injustice done to me.
Coming before the Lord amid the emotions; allowing God to take the anger that has overcome me, and the feelings of rejection that overtake me. Grace is that peace of heaven that seems to indwell within us when it seems we are so far gone that God wouldn't even want us. The forgiveness when we look down an easier path that finds us in the thorns of the world. Reminds me of Bare Rabbit talking to Bare Fox "Don't throw me in the thorns; I won't make it, Please oh please not the brier patch" After he's thrown in he pops up and starts singing how he can't be hurt by the patch because he was born into it. We have been born into the world; taught by the world; and many times sucked in by the world. But we have something different Paul tells us. A new life in Christ! We can be thrown into the thorns of the world, but because of the blood of Jesus, we are protected from the outcomes of this world if we keep our eyes on Christ.

Grace gives us this wonderful thing called forgiveness when we come before Christ and we begin viewing the World as thorns that God has control of. We are to be in the world; BUT not of the world.  God's love for us is so big he doesn't want to see any of us hurt by the world; he tries to protect us from the hurt by giving us grace; but our freewill comes into play and many times we find ourselves in trouble just as barer rabbit did many times over. 

As I watch my kids grow into young men and women; I see this new area of parenting where Grace comes into play. Frustrated and disappointed because once again they are in a situation they don't need to be in, and because of choices have placed themselves deeper and deeper in the situation. Hurt and pain come along; the mother's heart begins to hurt as I watch them fight through the consequences of Choices. But; I've found a new appreciation for Christ. Because he feels the same when I continue to get myself into situations that hurt me. He hurts with me; allows me to go through the consequences of the choice, but all along gives grace and forgiveness. I find pure joy when I go through trials because I know I have a God who loves me so much and pours Grace and Mercy over me as I fight through to the other side. 

GRACE WINS EVERY TIME!!