Day One

On tv and in the movies they make starting over look so easy.  Criminal activities, difficult relationships, and just bad choices are often fixed in the witness protection program, by starting a new relationship or leaving the past behind.   But life isn't like that.  Is it?

On the surface, starting over can seem impossible.  Especially if someone hurt you or you did the unthinkable.  That is something that needs to be worked out through therapy and other healing processes.  That's what makes God's grace so difficult to understand.   Forgiving the unforgivable and forgetting the unforgettable just isn't a logical or fair solution.  But with God, He wipes away your past as soon as you ask.  It's gone.  Yes, we still have to deal with the consequences of our actions but usually the most difficult part of God's grace is accepting it.  Because by accepting God's grace we are forced to admit that we can no longer use it as a crutch in our lives.  We keep grace at a distance because it scares us.  But God knows that while vulnerability is uncomfortable for a season, the reward of freedom is exhilarating.  

Sometimes we need to wrestle with these ideas and let them roll around in our minds for awhile before we truly understand.  That's why I like music so much.  You can listen to a song thirty times before the message finally sinks in.  Other times, the message jumps up and hits you right away.  If you are having trouble accepting that free gift of grace from God, listen to this song...thirty times if you have to until you truly experience freedom.