Shades of Grace

Recently my husband bought a new pair of sunglasses. Interestingly, the glasses not only blocked the bright sun rays but it also gave him a photoshopped view of whatever he saw through it. Deep greens, dark blues and bright whites—colours have never looked so vibrant. The other day we were driving on a road beside the sea and he said, “The sea looks so beautiful! It reminds me of Maldives.” The sea did look beautiful but not as glorious as Joel described it. He realised this when he removed his glasses; the lenses had affected his view, in a good way though. It made me think—what lens are we using to view Jesus?

I always viewed my Heavenly Father as a stern master—someone I run from, someone who I could not relate to. It was only in the past few years that my view of God changed; definitely after I started spending more time with His Word. I realised that I was looking at a made-up image of God. The image that was sketched by the ones around me—spiritual authority, elders and family. Sometimes even our well-wishers paint a blurry image of God. As for me, I found myself comparing God to people especially the ones in spiritual authority. Sometimes it disappointed me and also made me drift away from God because ALL THAT I KNEW ABOUT GOD WAS SOMEONE ELSE’S PERSPECTIVE OF HIM. Yes, I prayed and yes, I read the Bible regularly but at some point, it was more of a ritual than a fellowship with God. But deep down I wanted to know who God really is. So, I decided to take the journey to meet with God. I was a clean slate when I started—no opinions, no preconceived notions and no false assumptions. And when I emptied myself, He filled me with His love, mercy and grace. My relationship with God changed my view of Him; I had a renewed and fresh understanding of who God really is.

One important thing that I understood in this journey is that the enemy constantly tries to remanufacture the character of God. DO NOT be swayed into believing his lies instead, strive to know God more by spending time with the Word—Remember, He is the Word.

Look at David from the Bible, he was called ‘a man after God’s own heart.’ There was absolutely nothing extraordinary about him; he was a flawed man just like you and me. However, he always ran towards God and not away whenever he had a crisis. In II Samuel 24, the Lord came to prophet Gad and asked him to give a warning to David after he had counted his army men. In verse 14, David said to Gad—” I am in deep distress; let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for His love and mercy is great but do not let me fall into human hands.”

Instead of running away from God, David ran to Him, and God, being the compassionate father who he is, showed mercy. David had understood God’s mercy and never twitched at the thought of going to His Father even when he committed the gravest sin. I asked myself—when David never stopped going to God then why am I running away from Him when I am in crisis? Why can’t I see my God as a merciful Father?

Take the case of Nineveh. The city was doomed to perish in the wrath of God but the Father’s compassion did not let that happen. He gave them a second chance to repent and turn from their evil ways. And for that He even transported a man in the whale belly to warn them. Finally, Jonah went on to Nineveh to warn the people there. The people, including the king genuinely repented. This act of repentance melted the heart of God; it dissolved His wrath. And the cloud of doom over the city was blown away. This shows how merciful God is no matter how much one has angered or disappointed Him. The Father’s heart is full of love for His children and this Father-child relationship gives us the privilege of going into His presence even when we have done the gravest of sins. He relents when we ask for forgiveness. Jonah might have understood the MERCY of God and that he would be compassionate to the people of Nineveh when they repent and that might be one of the reasons why he was apprehensive to go there in the first place. Jonah, like many of us today, believed that people who committed evil had to perish but God had other plans. 

We can also find illustrations in the New Testament where God displays His great mercy. Take the parable of the prodigal son. The story shows us a father who stands at the door of his house with arms wide open to greet his son who ran away from him. The son did wrong his father but that did not stop the father from loving him. The parable also teaches us the importance of forgiving the ones who have wronged us, no matter how bad it may be. The Bible says in Mathew 18:21-22 Forgive—not once, not twice but seventy times seven, do you think the Lord would ask us to do something that He wouldn’t go above and beyond what He asks of us ?. Just like the father in the parable, our Heavenly Father has His arms wide open, ready to catch us when we fall, to wipe our tears and to hold us when we feel like we are breaking. It does not matter to Him whether you are right in the middle of your mess and covered with muck. All He wants is a heart of genuine repentance. Just fall into His arms—He hears you and He forgives. Can we be like David who said “let me fall into the arms of God”? Can we stop running away from our Father and instead, run to Him?

Know that, His mercy and grace does not give us the license to keep sinning. Romans 12: 1 Paul says— “Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true and proper worship.” It is important that we rekindle our knowledge of God’s grace but, at the same time, not take it for granted. God has His arms wide open for you; the only thing He asks of you is to run to Him.  So, let’s run together! And keeping running to Him even when the world tells us that we can’t. In the words of Mathew West in his song Broken Things:

The pages of history,

They tell me it’s true, that it’s never the perfect, 

It’s always the ones with the scars that You use,

It’s the rebels and the prodigals, 

It’s the humble and the weak,

All the misfit heroes You chose,

Tell me there’s hope for sinners like me.

Now I’m just a beggar in the presence of a King,

I wish I could bring so much more,

But if it’s true,

You use broken things

Then here I am Lord, I am all Yours.

Know that even when you feel filthy, God sees you as His beautiful creation and calls you to come to Him. Rest in His arms, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.