When Life Is Not a Straight Line

 Truth or untruth:  The Christian life is a straight line.

Oh my.  I wish it were true.  I wish I could sit here and declare that my life, my living on this earth thus far, has been a straight-as-an-arrow life.  I wish I could declare that every decision, every action, every word uttered, and every thought thought has been as straight as a straight man might be.

However, I’ve been bent, I’ve been off my

mark, I’ve made some miss-guided decisions.  No, my life has not been lived in a straight line. 

Has yours?

Probably not.  Well then, I have some good news for the two of us … along comes grace. 

ALONG COMES GRACE!

Anne Lamott throws out this question in her book – “Does God know how messed up I am?”  (Anne Lamott Help Thanks Wow)

Anne is saying that her life has not been lived in a straight line. 

We have questions – about God, and how He views our less than straight-as-an-arrow life. 

  ~Does God get mad at us?

    ~How can we get out of this mess? 

      ~What if I’m too far gone?

        ~Am I a doomed loser?

          ~Do I still have worth?

If I were to diagram my life, it would be a short straight line, a curve, a few circles, more curves, a hill, a valley, a few round-abouts with seemingly no exit point, and a few more twists and turns and curves and on and on and on.

You see, my life has not been a straight line. 

And then comes grace.

And it comes in through Romans 5:20 – “where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.”

Grace abounds more!

Where sin increased, grace increased even more.  How incredible is that?

I don’t know your life.  I don’t see the twists and turns you have made, nor the bad decisions that haunt you. 

I just know this --- God’s grace is more than sufficient for any and every flaw you might have in your life.

So, if your life can be described more like a circuitous pilgrimage of loops, lapses, heartaches and hurrahs, then be encouraged.  “Where sin abounds, grace abounds more.”

I love the refrain of this hymn

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that is greater than all our sin

I rest on this truth today … when life is not a straight line, along comes grace.

Thanks be to God!

Internet Church Blog Site

Offering Words of

Hope Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time