Grace and Truth (HT: Randy Alcorn)
Recently, I’ve been troubled by two memories and this morning I figured out why.
– The first is just ONE LINE from a (wonderful!) sermon I heard recently. It had to do with a woman being confronted by her husband and (over)-responding with despair and (extreme) anxiety. The pastor (whose sermon was otherwise brilliant and gospel-soaked), made some sort of passing comment about her “temper tantrum.” This troubled me.
– The second is a blog comment that a man once made in response to a question Pastor JollyBlogger posted on his (wonderful!) blog having to do with why certain women in his church struggle so much with ungodly shame. I had left a blog comment with an excerpt from the chapter in Judy’s and my book that addresses shame and in response, this blog commenter (not Pastor JollyBlogger!) said, “Those women just need a healthy dose of CALVIN!” I remember thinking, “He’s right. But this troubles me.”
This morning I figured out why … both of these comments were TRUE. But they were not very GRACIOUS.
The truth is that the woman who responded by pulling back, running away, and over-reacting could have been, in fact, having some sort of a “temper tantrum.” And God’s grace and truth were calling her to change; growing her in conformity to Christ–and the pastor did a lovely job of illustrating this. But to simply discount her reaction as ONLY a “temper tantrum” is, I think, to miss something important about HOW we minister the gospel to one another …
To GRACIOUSLY bring truth to her, we would first have to understand WHY her heart responded this way. Maybe, like many of us, every single time she had ever been confronted in her childhood and early adult years, THE PERSON KICKED HER OUT OR LEFT. Especially when the person confronting you and then ordering you out of your home is a PARENT? Well … it can take awhile to believe that the person confronting you TODAY isn’t going to treat you the same way.
Likewise, the blog commenter. If we’re struggling with ungodly shame, would a big dose of CALVIN help? You bet!! But to stand up on our pedestal, look down on someone who is terrified and distraught and proclaim, “YOU JUST NEED A BIG DOSE OF CALVIN!”?? Well … I just don’t recall Jesus ever doing anything like that in the gospels. Instead, He entered into the lives of the people (sinners!) around Him. He got to know them. He compassionately helped to provide for their physical needs (food, safety). And yes–He brought Truth to them. But for we desperate sinners whose eyes are downcast because of the weight of our guilt? He brought Grace. He gave His own very Self.
There is so much more I could write on these topics–encouraged along by an early morning re-reading of Randy Alcorn’s lovely little book, “The Grace and Truth Paradox”. But Lilikoi is itching for our walk and I’ve been doing so well this month walking for an hour every morning (and I feel SO much better as a result!) that I really must scoot.
I hope that your Friday is filled with both Grace and Truth!
Yours,
Tara B.
PS
Don’t forget! It’s not too late to get a free copy of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (“CCEF”) booklet:
All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know you’re interested by midnight Saturday (August 16), and I’ll pop a copy in the mail to you. (Oh! You might want to be sure that I have your snail-mail address too. You can email it to me at info@tarabarthel.com.)
Don’t worry about SPAM or getting on some marketing list … I would NEVER disclose your contact information to ANYONE without your explicit permission. I’ve just really been helped by this little booklet and I’d like to share it with you! I posted an excerpt earlier in the week if you’d like to check it out. Blessings! — tkb