Call in the Professional

"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

A few years ago, small patches of odd grass began appearing in our front yard. They seemed insignificant, and it seemed that surely some type of weed killer would take care of the problem. When the weed killer was applied the first year, the odd grass looked as though it had died back. The next Spring, it appeared again, and there were now more patches of this odd grass. Again, weed killer took care of the problem. Last year, the odd grass became very troubling. The patches were no longer small, and the bad seed had blown into the backyard. The backyard soil isn't as healthy and the odd grass spread like wildfire last summer. Weed killer didn't seem to phase it! So, the question remains what to do about this odd grass that is choking out the healthy grass in the yard. It may be time to call in a professional because our home remedies just aren't working anymore!

Life can have those troubling things that pop up like that odd grass that is now growing abundantly in our yard. As Christians, we know that our sinful nature wants to pop up where we least expect it. You may have had what seemed to be a perfect day, and then it happens. You know, that sarcastic remark that jabs someone in a passive aggressive manner, the excuse that has no real basis and directs away from the truth, the gossip that shouldn't be shared, and the masks that are worn when we're too afraid to be honest about our feelings are all just a few of the sins that can pop right smack into what once seemed liked a near perfect day.

Bonhoeffer, in the quote above, talks about costly grace. When we get ourselves into sinful situations, we can't just fix things ourselves by looking over what we do or trying to mend it ourselves. We need to truly call in the Professional to help change us. I understand from this reading and from my own human understanding of grace, that the grace that we as Christians dwell in each day came at a high cost to God. The suffering and pain on that cross was not an invitation to go out and sin while not worrying about it, because grace will cover it. It was to help us understand that sin causes pain to God, and if we're not careful it can take over our lives just like that odd grass growing in the yard. Bonhoeffer has also written that we can't just "bestow grace on ourselves" because only God can truly forgive us.

So, as those small sinful moments pop into our lives, maybe immediately we need to head for the cross. The cross that reminds us of that pain and suffering that our humanness causes God. It is there we go to truly ask God to forgive us, but even more than the forgiveness, we go asking to be changed as we move forward. We ask God to forgive us and mold us into more faithful disciples. This is something that we can't do ourselves, and we need to call in the Professional. You see, our own home remedies just can't begin to take care of the problems.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father of Grace,
The sinful moments of our daily lives continue to pop up even sometimes when we least expect them. Help us to understand that the grace you grant us came with a price, a costly price. Keep our hearts healthy as we come to learn that growing closer to you entails true repentance for our sins. Only you can bestow true grace upon us.
Amen