Thanks to Rev. John Friedlund for sharing this thought with me.
One never knows a man till he has refused him something, and studied the effect of the refusal; one never knows himself till he has denied himself. The altar of sacrifice is the touchstone of character. The cross compels a choice for or against Christ.
~O.P. Gifford
I’ve recently been both impressed and depressed concerning the power of grace.
Grace is an essential quality of life, the presence of which makes Christian faith supreme. Anyone who has interacted with others to any degree knows that the absence of grace can keep people in chains. This enslavement, brought about by withholding grace, is not something limited to non-Christian religions. It’s found in individuals and used in their personal lives. A woman once came to me concerning her daughter, distraught with the way the daughter held things over her head. “I just cannot measure up to her standards. I find that no matter how hard I try, she finds something at fault with me.” In the course of our conversation I learned that the daughter had been behaving in a grace-less manner toward her mother. The mother had allowed that interaction to cripple her, spiritually. Ironically, the daughter was a professing Christian — a person who claimed to have experienced grace herself. Yet she failed to show that grace to her own unbelieving mother. Does not the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) come to mind? These thoughts depress my heart and cause my spirit to ache.
In contrast, I’ve seen people act with such grace toward others that I am ashamed. Continue reading
“…we treat our wounds and grievances like pets. Whenever we can, we pull them out, pet them, show them off, caress them, and carry them with us. Our pets are never far away, always ready to sit on our laps, roll over and do tricks, and entertain our friends. Yes, we do all that with wounds and grievances over which we have long been angry. It’s an odd picture, but a true one.” ~Bill Denton in Pulpit Helps, August 2006, The Skeleton at the Feast.