The alarm sounds and I roll over to reset it for thirty minutes later. I shift positions so I’m lying on my back with a pillow under my knees; feel cold and reach down to pull up the green afghan I’ve tossed aside during the night. When the alarm sounds again, I’ve reached a state of cozy and comatose; the last thing I want to do is get out of bed.
My stomach and head hurt and I’d give my right arm to not be Mom for a day. By this time Reece is calling for me and I drag myself to standing, if for no other reason, than to avoid his cries reaching such a crescendo that other needy people wake up.
And so it went last week: drudgery. I did the bare necessities but didn’t enjoy them and prayed for the moment I could return to the bed or the couch and a decent TV show.
That feeling–of wanting to disappear, fly off the radar, pull the covers back over my head and get back to life when I feel “up to the task”–it’s awfully close to the opposite of grace. Ironically, the root of it can also have me bounding out of bed, weighed down by a heavy to-do list instead of sleep, attacking the day so I can’t be accused of being lazy, and falling into bed without a moment’s respite in the sixteen hour day.
On the surface, living by a culture of works versus a culture of grace may look the same, but the foundations couldn’t be more opposite. The first keeps the focus on me and what I can do; the latter on Him and what He can do. One is religion, the other relationship.
Works look to my power; Grace points me to His.
Works pressure me to gear up; Grace reminds me to dial in.
Works label me “slave”; Grace names me “daughter.”
Works have me dig down deep;
Grace has me reach for Him…
Grace reaches for me.
Like a freshwater pool at the foot of a mountain, grace flows from above, originating from a source that could no more be pulled down by my might than I could pull down a waterfall. All I have to do is step into it.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2
This is the “Adventures in Grace” series. I’ll add links to the topics as I post them.
- Venture with Me?
- An Outrageous Day
- Gearing Up or Stepping In?
- Listen Well
- Cousin to Mercy?
- Crazy Lovin’
- Feel Your Way
- Look Different, Be Different
Photo credit: autowitch (Creative Commons)
But that's enough about me…what about you?
The more I learn about grace, the more I'm challenged to let go of works. What about you?
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