"How Graceful Are You?"

A few weeks ago I was driving just west of Wadsworth on Quincy (one of the main streets in Denver) when I spotted it—that familiar white hood on the bald eagle. He was perched in a large tree on the south side of Quincy looking over the large open space east of the federal prison. I always marvel when I see these majestic birds and I slowed down so I could spend a little more time admiring this beautiful bird. I continued on my way, grateful for the rare opportunity I had to spot one of these birds.

Imagine my delighted surprise then, when on Tuesday of the following week I was driving east on Quincy in almost the same spot and saw what was probably this same bird wheeling through the sky over the open space below. I was in absolute awe as this large, beautiful bird majestically circled through the sky scanning the field below. Once again I slowed down and noted as I did so that another car had completely pulled over to the side of the road to witness this breath-taking sight.

As I spent a few too-brief seconds watching this scene played out in the sky above me, I wondered at the grace that this eagle displayed as he soared through the heavens.

A question came to mind after I had witnessed this display. How graceful am I?

No, I’m not thinking of agility—that seems to be lessening as my age increases! Instead what I wondered was simply this: I want to experience grace in my own life, but how much grace am I willing to extend to others who have hurt me? Thus the question: How graceful am I?

May I just admit up front that this is an area of my life where I sometimes struggle. The struggle seems to be in proportion to the extent to which I sense I’ve been hurt. The relatively small wrong is easier to forgive than the great wrong that I feel has been foisted upon me. It’s in times such as these when I have to ask myself a very tough question: How much do I truly believe in grace?

Oh, I believe in grace as it applies to my wrongdoings. I’m happy to revel in the knowledge of God’s grace extended to me for my weaknesses. But the story takes a different turn when I have to think about extending grace to one who I perceive to have wronged me.

Take a few minutes today to read the story found in Luke 7:36-50. Reflect on the point that Jesus makes in this incident and then answer the question: How graceful are you?

"How Do You Handle Failure?"

Failure. Not a word we like to talk about. But it’s a part of our reality. We’re human and a part of being human is experiencing failure.

Some of our failures are relatively minor, such as failing to signal when you decide to change lanes on the freeway (one of the failures my wife likes to remind me of!). Other failures aren’t quite that minor, but they’re not particularly life-changing either, such as the disagreement you had with someone close to you. Then there are the failures in life that you agonize over. You know the ones—they’re so awful you don’t want to discuss them and frankly, would prefer that no one knew about them.

How do you handle failure?

That’s not a throwaway question. How you handle failure is critical to your life. Will you allow me to illustrate from two well-known characters from the Bible?

Matthew 26 records events in the hours prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. Threading it’s way through this chapter are the stories of two men who handled their similar failures in completely different ways.

Each of these two men—Judas and Peter—were disciples of Christ. Each of these two men committed a horrible betrayal of their Master. Each of these two men came to see the awful enormity of their actions.

Similar men. Similar sin. Similar realization.

But that’s where the similarity ends.

Judas realized he couldn’t live with guilt.

Peter realized he couldn’t live without grace.

And that made all the difference.

Judas took his life, while Peter gave his life to God.

Judas’ life ended in tragedy, Peter’s in triumph. Why? Because of how they chose to handle their failure.

Peter used his failure as a springboard to realizing the necessity of God’s grace in his life. That experience became a turning-point in his life that thrust him into a leading role in the spread of Christianity in the first century. Peter’s failure was only a temporary point on his journey of grace.

Parents today still name their baby boys “Peter.” I’m not aware of any that call their newborns “Judas.”

How do you handle failure?

"Where East Meets West"

Columbus. It’s the name of a famed explorer and the name of the small farming community in Wisconsin where I was born and raised. It’s one of many communities throughout the United States named in honor of the intrepid sailor.

You remember him from your history classes, don’t you? An Italian who, backed by the royal family of Spain, was determined to reach and India and return its treasures to Europe. It was his proposed route to India that raised eyebrows. Columbus intended to reach the east by sailing west.

And to paraphrase a line from Paul Harvey, of course you know the rest of the story.

Columbus’ intentions remind me of my favorite Psalm—a Psalm of grace—Psalm 103.

Notice a few selected passages written by David about grace in Psalm 103.

“Praise the Lord…who forgives all your sins…He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”

Majestic words. Now think about what David writes in verse 12.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Catch David’s point—just as there is no point where east meets west, so you cannot find the place where your sins can be found once God has forgiven you. That place simply doesn’t exist!

God’s forgiveness for your sins is so complete, so perfect, so gracious, that you need never worry about them ever again. Your past is past and you are left to live in the joy of forgiveness.

So the next time you’re tempted to go exploring for your past sins, remember Columbus and remember the gracious God who says the place where your past sins are cannot be found.

Where east meets west.