Yesterday I left you in quite a heap of dank, ugly unapologetic truth about the current state of things in everyday people. I'm sorry I had to leave you, but sometimes it gives time for truth to sink in. And before I left you out in the cold, I told you it was always most miserable just when you'd given up hope that the sun would ever rise again.
So, as a summary for yesterday, there is in each of us at once something dark and evil and also something noble and beautiful. How could the same species paint things like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and take the lives of thousands? We are at once magnificent and broken. We write masterpieces of literature but have a difficult time writing "I'm sorry, please forgive me."
The only good, the magnificent moments are traces of former days, days before the great separation. In the Garden, we were perfect. We left the Garden having broken hearts, both ours and the heart of God Himself. We could not undo the damage. We could not pay the debt we had incurred by breaking a relationship with our God. We were helpless and hopeless. Things looked like this, in fact...
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy... 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3
That was the sunrise we had dreamed of and longed for. Still, sometimes we think it's too good to be true. Unconditional love doesn't happen in real life, so surely all of this dreamed up religion stuff is a social construct to make us feel better and to explain moral standards. What about Michaelangelo and Shakespeare and Beethoven? What about an empty tomb on an Easter morning and a full inn at Christmas? What about a sweet small one who crawls up into your lap and says I love you? Sistine Chapels and concertos and grief and love and friendship don't evolve from simple cells. They are gifts from a God who loves.
I think but is one of the most amazing words in the Bible. Things were looking dark, but Jesus stepped in and became our debt's payment. We still mess up a lot but love covers a multitude of sins. Sometimes we just want to give up but He who began a good work in you will see it to completion. Yes, life is hard, but we serve the great comforter. Evil can seem so strong and unbeatable but we serve a just king who has already overcome death itself.
I'm reading What's So Amazing about Grace right now. You should probably read it too. We have a lot to learn about the business of grace.
Much love,
Little Miss Sunshine
So, as a summary for yesterday, there is in each of us at once something dark and evil and also something noble and beautiful. How could the same species paint things like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and take the lives of thousands? We are at once magnificent and broken. We write masterpieces of literature but have a difficult time writing "I'm sorry, please forgive me."
The only good, the magnificent moments are traces of former days, days before the great separation. In the Garden, we were perfect. We left the Garden having broken hearts, both ours and the heart of God Himself. We could not undo the damage. We could not pay the debt we had incurred by breaking a relationship with our God. We were helpless and hopeless. Things looked like this, in fact...
3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy... 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3
That was the sunrise we had dreamed of and longed for. Still, sometimes we think it's too good to be true. Unconditional love doesn't happen in real life, so surely all of this dreamed up religion stuff is a social construct to make us feel better and to explain moral standards. What about Michaelangelo and Shakespeare and Beethoven? What about an empty tomb on an Easter morning and a full inn at Christmas? What about a sweet small one who crawls up into your lap and says I love you? Sistine Chapels and concertos and grief and love and friendship don't evolve from simple cells. They are gifts from a God who loves.
I think but is one of the most amazing words in the Bible. Things were looking dark, but Jesus stepped in and became our debt's payment. We still mess up a lot but love covers a multitude of sins. Sometimes we just want to give up but He who began a good work in you will see it to completion. Yes, life is hard, but we serve the great comforter. Evil can seem so strong and unbeatable but we serve a just king who has already overcome death itself.
I'm reading What's So Amazing about Grace right now. You should probably read it too. We have a lot to learn about the business of grace.
Much love,
Little Miss Sunshine
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