Our Stories
Learning the Language of GRACE
By Char Forslund | posted 07/09/2009
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10)
July 5, 2009... Creekside Covenant Church. We were a small group this morning with a lot of folks at Family Camp and many more on a great Fourth of July adventure. With Keith’s "encouragement" we revised our first seating arrangement and huddled up front and center... the about fifty or so of us. We had the gift of being informal as Keith sat with us and talked about the last question from our book of James series. WHAT DO I DO WITH MY ATTITUDE? The talk became interactive and conversational as we pursued the four questions Keith introduced.
What am I ultimately after? James 3:13
Am I "others" centered? James 2:8
Am I "OTHER, God" focused? James 4:10, 15
What am I telling myself?
Now here is the real deal. I pride myself on having a good attitude! Shoot! I have all these physical infirmities and constant pain, plus a Mother who was 100 years old on July 7th and needs bucketfuls of unconditional love as she falls further into dementia, plus our grandchildren are still very much a part of our daily lives, plus, plus, plus. I am the queen of good attitude! You can count on the fact that I will bring to everyday that attitude of "can do". I can keep the house picked up (with a "little" pressure on all the others); I can get the laundry done, the meals cooked, the dogs fed, the flower pots watered, the laundry put away, the errands run, etc., etc, etc. So our house is clean, tidy, well fed and if someone said, "We need a place to go tonight for a meeting," I would be able to say, "You can come here!"
But today I got shot like a bullet from the Holy Spirit asking me about all of that - I need to see that we run a house of EXPECTATION, rather than AFFIRMATION.
A house that runs high on "what did you get done" rather than acceptance. A home fueled by the "to do" rather than the "to be" of life. I was astounded at how many times my mind went to "I can". Wow, and you know what... I can’t, and that leads to my oftentimes frustration. I have a strong tendency to step over Grace and stand under the heading of works. So - I am convicted about the balance of expectation and affirmation, the balance of works and Grace... oops! Grace and works. Once I am standing in works it is work. The bullet the Holy Spirit aimed at my heart said clearly, "Charlotte, Grace Flows out from one way in a never ending, accessible and sufficient supply. If you stand there, all the "to do’s" will be bathed in the grace of "I AM." You may well look back at Grace and say, "but I did it and I did it for you!" and I say Charlotte, you tried to create you own river of living water and it does not flow that way. The River does not run backward against It’s own current - It flows in you and through you if you choose to stand first and foremost under God and under Grace.
I have had some concerns about us as a body of believers called Creekside. I share the excitement of the call of our new Pastor’s family. I have to say that I clearly want that call to be us as a family of God standing under the heading of GRACE and shouting with Joy and exuberance, "Yes, who will God call us to be!" Should we have expectations about what we will do - certainly... but absolutely we are called first to seek the knowledge of one-another ness and who we are through prayer and petition as we put together our "TO DO LIST."
So back to me. What do I want to stand under?
| GRACE - to be | WORKS - to do | |
| Affirmation of one another | Expectations of one another | |
| Creativity | Tasks | |
| Spiritual Gifts | To do Lists | |
| Prayer and Listening | Talking to God | |
| Praise | Thank You’s | |
| Worship | Gathering together | |
| Celebration | Socializing | |
| True Service | We can do it |
If I place myself squarely under the call of Grace it is a given, a truth, that God will lead me into more and more dependence on the Holy Spirit and less of myself and my efforts This is a hard lesson for me personally because I am a "can do" person. I truly want to put all I think, say and do through the sieve of Grace, letting the Holy Spirit lead me... I often fail at that. Thank God that His riches in Heaven and His Righteousness, which is what I am, are unending and I will always hear, "Come on back, I’m waiting patiently for you my lovely child.
Love and Joy,
Char
Char can be reached via email here.
