Part 2

Tracing this supernatural chain events leads me back to the last Sunday in September, when I was at home for the weekend and went to church with my family. Mr. Tommy preached that Sunday morning about trials and their place in the life of a Christian:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
– James 1:2-4

Although I couldn’t think of a way to apply the message to any particular situation in my life, I thought about Ali and her struggles with illness. At that point, she had been sick for the better part of a month first with a minor respiratory virus, then a mono-like virus, then bronchitis, then viral pneumonia, and then a stomach virus. I shared what I’d learned with her almost as soon as I walked in the door at the dorm later that afternoon, and she just looked at me with her trademark gaze of wonderment. (Fortunately, she wasn’t in awe of me, but in awe of God.) She related the events of her weekend, and it became obvious that the encouragement I had shared was quite timely, but not for the reason I thought it would be. Leave it to God to orchestrate something as perfect as that.

He didn’t stop there, though. The next Sunday, I went to church with Ali and learned about rendering to God what belongs to Him: namely myself. I bear His image, just like the coin that was used in the gospel story, and I should act as though I am His. For some reason, the Spirit was also beginning to make me sensitive to the principle of grace during the service. I honestly don’t know what triggered it, but I wrote the following prayer in my notebook: “So God, you’re more concerned with my heart? Why don’t I choose to live in your grace – why do I chase rules? Teach me to live by your Spirit, not by legalism.” I actually just rediscovered that prayer as I was flipping through my notebook, piecing this story together, and it amazes me to realize that God began answering that prayer just two days later, when I went to Bible study with Ali at Chris’s house.

That Tuesday, God taught us about holiness, grace, and peace in the context of our identity in Christ. I never thought I could get so much out of seemingly simple verses like these:

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
– 1 Corinthians 1:2-3

Nevertheless, by the end of the evening, I was beginning to understand the depth of meaning in the words “who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus” and “saints by calling.” In Christ, I have a new nature: I am holy. There is no need to grovel with the “Pity me, the poor sinner” attitude anymore, because he has redeemed me. I have been set free to dance, sing, and play in peace at the foot of His throne as His precious, holy daughter. Also, there remains no reason for me to walk in sin, because it is completely incompatible with my new nature. Unfortunately, the tendency here is to get caught up in “doing” things for God in order to “be” holy. For example, going to church on Sundays: it is not holy in and of itself, but the desire to be with God and worship Him in church on Sundays springs from a nature of holiness. By the same token, taking a shower is not holy, but recognizing it as an opportunity to glorify God by caring for His temple flows from the holiness of the heart.

If only I realized that I already am holy by nature and that everything I do flows from that – how different would my life be? How different would I be if I actually believed what God says about me? I wouldn't be constantly striving or wallowing in the guilt of failure, that's for sure. I have had a tendency to get so caught up in the laws and the lists that I miss the heart of Christianity, but thankfully, God used this Tuesday night to begin changing my perspective.

To put the evening’s lesson in more succinct terms, it would be something like this: “In Christ, you are holy, so act like it.” For me, that meant letting go of my attempts to be holy by following the letter of the law and recognizing myself as the spotless daughter of the King. We also talked to a great extent about how we are standing in the riches His grace, which breaks us, strengthens us, and disciples us from the inside out. We also talked about peace, and how Christ himself is our peace. That was a revolutionary concept for me, because I’ve grown accustomed to asking for peace whenever I feel anxious or afraid. It hadn’t ever occurred to me that peace is already mine because I have the Prince of Peace.

Well, it’s nearly midnight, so I think I’ve told enough of the story for tonight. I’ll try to pick it back up tomorrow if I have the chance, but if not, I’ll continue soon. Just writing all of this out is immensely encouraging because it’s allowing me to see answered prayers and connections that I didn’t see before. I hope that it's encouraging to someone else as well, and above all, I pray that it glorifies my amazing God.

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus.