Prologue
I’m Ellie Morgan, a normal person. At least I consider myself normal, certainly no one deemed special by any usual measure of success. If anything, life has taught me, in the scheme of all things earthly, I am truly insignificant.
On the other hand, the hand of all things eternal, God has taught me I’m everything. I am of such importance that He sent His son to die for me. How then, do I reconcile the two ends of such a spectrum? How do I live life in a physical world where I’m deemed worthless, while I live life for a spiritual world in which I’m deemed priceless?
I think the Bible addresses these questions in the seventh chapter of the book of Romans. Basically, it says: I know what I should do, but don’t. I know what I shouldn’t do, but I do it anyway.
The closest non-religious comparison that comes to mind is the New Year’s Resolution. Virtually everyone can relate to making a New Year’s promise, pledging to do what we should, but breaking the promise by doing what we shouldn’t.
I suppose this puzzling aspect of the human condition is part of who we are from the draw of our first breath to the exhalation of our last. I’m sure God mentions it in Scripture because He understands the significance of our fickle human nature and knows it’s something of which we need to be made aware.
Doing what I shouldn’t and failing to do what I should are errors I make coming and going. I’m incredibly grateful for God’s ability, and willingness, to look past my many shortcomings. He’s taught me to understand that His grace kills the guilt that comes when human efforts fail. Grace kills guilt that comes from doing things I shouldn’t and grace kills guilt that comes for failing to do things I should.
Because any effort to save myself is never enough, God sends His grace to meet me in my weakness. He doesn’t send grace to save perfect people because perfect people don’t need saving. His grace meets me because I’m not perfect.
I’ve lived long enough to know that money, or the love of other people, can’t protect me in ways that truly matter. Things of this world fail to protect because they’re finite; captured, if you will, frozen in time by an expiration date.
I, however, am not finite. Time will fail to stop my spirit when death claims my body. No, my spirit will race into the infinite time which stretches beyond my earthly existence. This forever time cannot be protected by something with an expiration date because protecting forever requires the never-ending. God, by His own definition, was here before us and will be here after us, so my protection comes from Him because He’s the only person big enough to save me.
This is the reason I’ve given myself to Someone who’s smarter, stronger and wiser than me. This is the reason I’ve given myself to Someone who understands life because He fashioned it with the power of His spoken word and no deed, no nuance, is beyond His ability to find, forgive and protect.
Often, God’s love and protection show themselves in ways which are incredibly difficult for humans to understand. As I step into my future, I’m completely unaware of a personal journey which will require God’s grace in an abundance never before needed by me. God’s love and protection will weave their way through the choices I make, stretching my faith and endurance to the breaking point.
