Soakin' Up Grace

Do you remember the first time you were aware of your sin? As a young girl, I remember stealing a penny I found on the living room floor of our neighbor’s house. I thought about it for weeks. Should I return it and be honest about it? Should I casually drop it out of my pocket next time I visited, returning it to its original position? The world would say, "It’s only a penny!" But for this little girl, it lay heavy on my heart. Unfortunately, I can’t remember how the story ends! I’m guessing I was never honest about it, because I am pretty sure I would have remembered that! But no worries, I have repented.

I also vividly remember sitting in Sunday School at our tiny country church in Kentucky as an eight-year-old, listening to the teacher discuss sin and thinking proudly to myself, “I don’t do those things. I can’t even think of one sin!” I fear that, even now, I fall into that mode of thinking. When I measure my life against the mess around me in the world, it is easy to boast, “I don’t do those things.”

Instead, the believer should reflect on having been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, recognizing our daily sin, our fallen state, our rags compared to the riches of Christ, for He is our perfect holy Lord. We should fall to our knees praising Him for the grace covering us, the grace we soak up and dwell in. This kind of mindset would not only turn us into a more grateful people - a people more sensitive to sin - but it would aid us in being more sympathetic to the lost and their condition.