Reflecting on God’s grace in our lives

Many decades ago I received the gift of a finely crafted damask-lace doily (a small hand-made silk ornamental mat) that I then used for several years under a coarse lead-crystal flower vase on the polished wooden surface of the mantelpiece in my home library.

In South New Zealand’s cooler climate (where I lived at the time) the fireplace was used regularly and the mantelpiece required frequent dusting. As the vase and doily were moved so often, the delicate lace doily gradually became very frayed around the edges.

Because I possessed neither the skills nor the lace-making bobbins and silk threads to repair this fine damask napery, I kept it in this tattered condition for many years, perhaps in respect to the giver. I guess that I was comfortable in the knowledge that the centre of the now-ragged doily remained in excellent condition and was still functioning well.

Eventually I somewhat reluctantly discarded it, but not before reflecting on God’s grace in our lives being like that doily. 

When our life circumstances become frayed all around the edges, God’s grace is still functioning perfectly in the centre – we are still treasured, loved and blessed by Him. Our worst days are never so bad that we are beyond the reach of God's grace; our best days are never so good that we are beyond the need of God's grace.

This is how it has always been. Even in Old Testament times God’s grace was the perfect centre, blessing and providing salvation to frayed and ragged lives. As we contemplate a God who never changes (Malachi 3:6) let us thank Him for the amazing grace that blesses our lives.

Lionel Hartley 22 June 2013

Death is a Waiting Room

Death is a Waiting Room

My wife and I were recently visiting a medical facility that had in the foyer a large and busy waiting room complete with a plethora of magazines, live-broadcast TV, a colourful play area for children and huge glass windows bathing the area in filtered and natural sunlight.

Young people talked, sent text messages or played games on their mobile electronic devices, couples chatted, some of those waiting read magazines or watched the TV while others waited with obvious frustration in impatient silence.

After a time of waiting in this waiting room we were ushered closer to where we had our appointment, to wait in a smaller waiting area deeper within the building.

Although we did not need to wait long there, the contrast was striking. This waiting area consisted of two rows of chairs in part of a corridor, illuminated by tiny overhead lights in the ceiling. It was comfortable, peaceful and quiet with only the faint murmur of voices heard from behind adjacent closed doors. There were no magazines, TV, children playing, people chatting nor electronic devices beeping. We, ourselves, were actually glad to be waiting for our names to be called, as we knew that the soon reward of our appointment was waiting for us.

As I thought about the contrast between these two waiting areas I was reminded of a question that I had been asked a few days earlier regarding what death is like for a Christian, and I came to imagine the difference between life and death as being like these two waiting areas.

Life is a like large, well-lit and busy waiting room complete with impatience and a superfluity of distractions and entertainments. According to a 2001 ‘Cake (band)’ song, “As soon as you're born, you start dying.” With that premise in mind, you could even extend it to say that from the moment of our conception, living is about being occupied (preferably productively) while waiting for the (sometimes frightful) final call of our name.

In striking contrast, death for the Christian is like entering a tiny silent, tranquil waiting room with no distractions, just a quiet intermission, anticipating the reward that comes with the wonderful final call of our name.

According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, at the Second Coming of Christ the dead in Christ shall rise first (see Vs.13-17). Death for the Christian means simply waiting patiently for three closely consecutive rewards: 1) Resurrection, 2) A “front-row seat” to the awe-filled splendour and majesty of the Second Coming, and 3) the final reward of an eternity with the Redeemer.

-- Lionel Hartley 13 June 2013