The Heaviness of GRACE
During the pandemic I had the opportunity to befriend a recently divorced father with two young children whose entire world had devolved into chaos. In his despair, “David” returned to an old pattern of coping with brokenness by numbing his life with opiates. Just yesterday, after months of conversations, God moved in his heart to begin recovery. These are his words:
Thanks again for all your help today. If we had not built trust before hand, I would not have reached out to you. I literally typed a text to you multiple times over the last month but deleted it before hitting send. A lot of things fell into place that pushed me to reach out when I did.
Will you partner with UGM in praying for David? God is exposing David’s inability to control life and is also exposing David to the fullness of His grace.
GRACE IS THE ACTIVE EXPRESSION OF GOD’S LOVE
The Avett Brothers perform at an August 2016 concert in Bethlehem, Pa. (Emily Paine / The Morning Call)
Grace is God reminding us that we are His. The Avett Brothers end The Ballad of Love and Hate with these disarming lyrics,
Hate stumbles forward and leans in the door
Weary head hung down, eyes to the floor
He says, "Love, I'm sorry, " and she says, "What for?
I'm yours and that's it, whatever
I should not have been gone for so long
I'm yours and that's it, forever
Your mine and that's it, forever”
Our friend David is learning what it means to know that he is God’s — that he is a beloved child of God and nothing can change this truth. The promises of Jeremiah 31:15 are being realized for David…
“I’ll refresh tired bodies; I’ll restore tired souls.”
What, like David, do you need to let go of to more fully depend upon Christ? He wants nothing more then to refresh your tired body and restore your tired soul.
