Individuality and Grace

My younger daughter saw Jennifer looking at the entry entitled "Grace", read through the first paragraph and concluded the whole thing was "about" her. Jen explained that daddy was using her as an example in talking about something else. That, of course, did not dissuade her from believing that it was about "her."

Now, you might already think you know where I'm going with this. That we want to be recognized as being special, and that we should accept that God is dealing with LOTS of people and that we need to not look for how special we are in creation or try to make everything "all about me."

While some of that is certainly worth considering, I don't believe that, in order for God to deal with so many individuals, that he must mass produce or mass market grace. In fact, this has been a recurring theme when I teach Sunday School to adults: "God desires a unique relationship with YOU."

Now I will insert a word of caution. We don't have to "individualize" ourselves with God. We don't have to go out of our way to stand out. In many cases it will happen naturally as we seek God through our God-given talents and spiritual gifts. His plan for us is individuality. We don't have to create that for ourselves.

That means that we also should accept ourselves precisely the way HE accepts us: just as we are. As long as we are willing to confront the sin that he is convicting us of, he is faithful to deal with that sin, to help us start the process of putting it behind us (he forgets as he forgives, so he isn't the problem when it comes to putting sin behind us), and to help us lift our heads and start fresh.

That is the pattern of grace. Every day we seek God with new hearts that day. And we seek him through our own talents and gifts...in our own way...THAT day. There are some shared disciplines that are valuable--praying, reading the Bible, tithing, offering, serving--but they are the reflection of our faith not the cause of it. They should grow naturally as we grow our relationship with Jesus, but they should never be forced and while we should feel a desire to do them, it should be the desire of free, cheerful choice rather than the desire of forced duty or obligation.

I think that if we approach each day, each situation, each person as being individual--even unique--then we will be able to sense how God 'individuates' US. And we can do it without stressing out...with the "peace that passes understanding."

Now I can write all of this in part because God inspires me to write it. It doesn't mean that I am magically able to always pull it off. I sometimes fall into ruts (Rob Zinn called ruts "graves with the ends kicked out.") I often try to reduce my relationship with God to a repeatable ritual, often so I can keep at it. But I shouldn't reduce it to being JUST routine. There should be something fresh in it every day. I should expect God to deal with me in a unique way every single day...and thank him (and praise him!!) when he does.

Satan is the fan of the routine, the unmeaningful ritual, the sense of everything being the same and nothing getting better--the author of dehumanization. God is the creator of the unique snowflake, the variety of species on the earth, and is the one that makes YOU special to HIM. You don't have to do that...he already did!!

And I have another confession to make: too often my expectations of others force them into spirit killing routines that quench their spirit. I'm so sorry for being that way. Please don't give up on me (since God isn't finished with me yet, either!!)