Today is one of those days when my thought process seems stalled in neutral as to traveling in one direction or another. At the moment, I have a handful of loose threads and a head full of indecision, as I sit here with fingers (of my thread-free hand) poised above the keyboard, waiting for the urge to move forward on a chosen topic. In life, as is the case with writing, sometimes the adventure is not having an adventure. How do I do—or write about—the ordinary or mundane, gracefully?
Of one thing I am certain: “gracefully” is not an adverb I would attach to the way in which I “do” anything. I m referring to the “effortless beauty of movement” part of the definition: beauty--once in a while; effortless—never. In spiritual terms, if “grace” or “gracefulness” is an excellence of power granted by God, I also miss the mark by a wide margin. It is not that God is short of excellence, or the power and authority to grant it; it is the fact that I have a very poor reception record. I am usually so busy tending to my own agenda, schedule, and plans that I am not of the mind to look or wait to receive outside resourcing.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Unfortunately, we apply this maxim to the whole of life with one broad brushstroke. As concerns man, this is generally sage counsel; as concerns God, it is blatantly untrue, detrimental to our relationship with Him, and a stumbling block in our walk of faith. Grace is a too-good-to-be-true gift, from a too-good-to-be-true God—which isn’t; both God and His gift are far better than they sound or we can imagine. To believe this as fact is a real act of faith.
“You get what you work for—so work hard” is one twist on the Protestant work ethic. I rather enjoy hard work and I work hard. However, as concerns grace, I’m not sure that either hard work or working hard is the issue, but rather one’s heart motivation and focus.
Work is tangible, performance is measurable, results are assessable, and control appears viable. When God is kept out of the equation, man works and takes the credit. When God is recognized as part of the equation, man works and gives God credit, with or without a genuine understanding of the role and operation of grace. It is hard for me to trust God with the whole enchilada, so to speak, when it comes to the work and tasks of everyday living. My dependence on God vacillates wildly. When I am totally overwhelmed and ready to throw in the towel, I see trusting God as my sole option. When I am only partially challenged or stymied, I see trusting God alone as the spiritually correct option; however, in the practical outworking of affairs, I do as I am able, consigning God to the role of safety net and back-up.
For me, living with gracefulness is not easy. The effortlessness of grace depends on my surrendering my effort to God—and I have a strong attachment to “my effort.” Working gracefully is tantamount to trusting God with the responsibility for working—and interference is my specialty. Graceful living is living at rest, in peace, by faith in the finished work of Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, to accomplish His purposes, for His name’s sake and glory—impossible for me, but possible with God. What can I do? Only believe…
“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29
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