Finished

To some grace is "easy". They understand what has been given to them and they take it. There is the relaxation of knowing they don't have to work.

And those people are not problem free and are not any less of need of grace, but by the grace of God they know where they stand before Him.

Then there is me.

A girl who is constantly putting herself in a tizzy trying to understand grace.

If I was a daughter of a Catholic I would have lived in the confessional.

If I was a daughter of a Mormon I would have lived on anti depressants, because it would have been so hard to be good all the time.

Instead I'm a girl with Mennonite heritage. Don't go look up a definition in the dictionary and if you know some Mennonites don't compare me with them. Literally there is every stripe of Mennonites under the sun. Those who seclude themselves from the world in order to live a godly lifestyle. Then there are the ones who have found ways to write things into the Bible that don't belong.

If you would like to know more about the Mennonites we could spend a weekend together, because that is how long it would take to go into detail of our roots and paths.

I digress.

Many years ago in a Mennonite church on the prairie a young college student told the church about grace. Thus grace was added to the gospel that was already preached.

As a child the gospel was preached to me. Grace was preached to me. Works was not preached to me in words. Somehow I created my own personal blend of the gospel and put all three of them together.

Sometimes its hard for me know how far to go into the culture. I measure my standards by others and not the Bible. I do the wrong thing and I have to remind myself I'm still forgiven. Its not so clear to whats okay and not okay. Its hard not to run the risk of being a prude.

Sometimes life is a sorting process of trying to figure what exactly is legal from scripture and its not always very clear.

This week is not just a week. Its the week where we remember what we should remember every single day of our lives.

Christ finished the work on the cross. 

Finished.

Done.

Finished so every time when I ridiculously mess up there is grace. Finished, so I can stop working so hard and start resting in God's peace.

Every day by the grace of God and nothing else I'm understanding the gospel more and more. Each day is blessing. Each day is a day to come to grips even further with the work of the gospel.

Oh there is so much to learn..

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)