All We Have To Do

May 2, 2017

Day 119: We're As Sick As The Secrets We Keep:
"Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honestly!" —Psalm 32:1-2

As I was reading the scripture I thought, "Why does it always come back to sin?" As a parent, I don't want my child to constantly think about what he has done wrong and how much he needs my forgiveness. It just bothers me that so much of our walk with God seems to be focused on groveling and feeling unworthy of His love. It's not that I think I am incredibly worthy, I just know that I wouldn't want my child to feel unworthy, like he has to behave in just the right way or he will lose my love and approval.

Anderson's lesson today is about not keeping secrets.  Secrets, in the sense that Anderson uses the word, is really about hidden sin. Trying to hide something from someone else when we clearly know that what we are hiding is wrong in the first place, can lead us down a dark path.  Repent and ask for forgiveness is the only way to deal with such sin and free ourselves from its power.  Though I don't like how much today's lesson reminds me of my former church experiences, there is truth to it.  

Day 120: Tug-Of-War Between Joy and Grief:
"I entrust my spirit into your hands. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God." —Psalm 31:5

The main point of Anderson's lesson today is that the grief we feel at the passing of someone we love is "just as important as the joy we feel" knowing that they will be going on to heaven and leaving "this broken world."

I'd like to say that I felt joy for my mother when she passed away, but I did not.  I felt a great many things, but joy was not one of them.

Day 121: Soul Survivor:
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say." —2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

In today's lesson, Anderson shares a story about a young man who nearly lost his life because he sat on train tracks while he was drunk and high and didn't see the train until it was too late. Trey claims that he remembers the "train screeching to a stop. It was as if time stood still in that moment. A light that was so bright surrounded me, and I couldn't see anything else. Then this lone figure approached. It was a man, and he reached out for me. It was my grandfather, and he was asking me if I was ready to go with him." His grandfather had passed away ten years earlier. Trey spent six months in a coma, but he says, "The day I woke up was the same day my parents had agreed to remove me from life support. But somehow, Jesus protected me and helped me."

Anderson ends by reminding us that "No matter how bad the train wreck, God can put your life back on track."

I like Anderson's lesson today. Perhaps it's the English teacher in me; I just really appreciate metaphors. There have been times when I have felt that my life is a train wreck, but God has a way of putting me back on track...if I allow Him to.

Regardless of what we have done, what secrets we have kept, what internal battles we may have, God can help us overcome it all.  All we have to do is ask.