Friday, September 15, 2017

Eucatastrophe

"Saul did nothing to earn God's favor. Instead, he was on his way to hunt and kill people who believed in God, but still God chose him. (Acts 9:15) Why? It was only because of the grace of God. There is none of us who is too far gone from the love of God. His love and grace can change any heart." 

As I was writing this in my notes from the sermon that Sunday, God brought someone to mind. Someone who, in my flesh, deserves nothing. Someone I have had to choose to forgive multiple times and give my wounded heart to God to mend. I wrote their name in the margin by those words above. In that moment, I broke. God sent Ananias to meet Saul and give him a message from God. It's not that I think I am the Ananias for this person. I just received a glimpse of God's heart and felt a strange mixture of irritation and compassion, no doubt my human nature wrestling with the truth as it often does.

Immediately following this burst of the Father's love for this person I wrote, "I deserve nothing. But God gives me himself." I deserve NOTHING. This person deserves nothing. It doesn't matter what each of us did or didn't do. We are all sinners saved by grace. We are all broken in need of a Savior. 

From my notes: "It is the grace of God to expose the things in our life that are creating a barrier between us and God. He wants to set us free! He wants intimacy." God exposes sin, bitterness, and pain so that He can heal us. This was an opportunity for me to dive deeper with Him and allow healing. This was a Eucatastrohpe. 

Eucatastrophe - The sudden in-breaking of something good.

We get to experience this in our own lives, as well as help others experience this in theirs. I don't know all of the workings of God's plan. He had a grand plan for Saul who, before becoming Paul, was an awful man. God's grand plan always includes giving you a huge dose of love. With that overflow, you might also have fresh eyes of possibility for the person that you least expect.

He is in control. We don't have to be. Thank you, Jesus.