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As I’ve been memorizing Colossians there have been a few verses that have really stood out to me. Tonight I want to tell you about one that has haunted me {in a good way, not a weird-creepy way} for weeks now.
It’s Colossians 1:2.
To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
On first glance it might not look like too much. Just your average biblical greeting from Paul. But God has taught me so much recently through the second half of this verse. Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Like I told you in my update about memorizing the book, one thing that I’m learning is that every single word in the Bible is important. Right down to the order the words fall in and what words have been chosen, it’s a divine and living book. In this instance let’s look at the words GRACE and PEACE.
Upon first read you may, like I did, not think it matters which comes first. Peace, or grace…who really cares? They are nice words to start a letter with. A nice well-wish. And all that would be true for any other book. But not the Bible.
The Bible tells us that peace is part of a Christian’s inheritance. That doesn’t mean that we will live forever in a fuzzy daze of joy, not feeling the stings of mortality in a fallen world. However, it does mean that the peace that passes all understanding is ours to claim and enjoy. Peace that comes when we trust in the Lord and make a choice to proclaim that He is a good God, a God who loves us and knows what He is doing.
Often Satan tries to steal this peace from me. He nabs it away and replaces it with lies and uncertainty. For me, he convinces me to examine myself and do a lot of self-hating. I look at my struggles and my hurt and can always trace the cause back to my shortcomings.
A week ago I was physically and emotionally miserable. I was in terrible pain, more pain than before I underwent surgery. I was sure that something had gone terribly wrong in my back, sure I had reherniated the disc that was just operated on. I’ll save the details for another time, but I’ll tell you this now: I saw no way out. As I looked ahead it was just a hopeless mess of pain. My heart raced and I was sinking in panic. I laid on the couch and thought of a million reasons to be mad at myself. Consciously, I know God is good and loving and perfect. So I’m never mad at Him–instead, I mirror all my emotion onto myself.
If I had been more careful I never would have hurt my back to begin with.
If I wasn’t so active this wouldn’t have happened.
Was it from the gym? If I could have a little more self control in the kitchen I wouldn’t have pushed it so hard.
Maybe I should have been doing something different post-op.
I should have prayed more before surgery, what if this wasn’t even God’s plan?
Eventually I decided that I could live with the pain {maybe} if I could just have some peace. So I cried out to God…and He replied with Colossians 1:2b–Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Grace comes first.
The order is important. In order to redeem our coupon for peace we must first accept the gift of grace. Grace isn’t something we earn through works or prayer or living well. It’s not something we deserve. That’s grace. God offering us love and life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. A deed that allows us to reenter communion with Him, even though there is no way to pay Him back for it–other than committing our lives to glorifying Him.
We must accept God’s grace before we receive His peace.
In essence I was dragging His grace through the mud and demanding that I get some peace in return. I was buying in to the lie that my shortcomings were {are} bigger than the grace He offers. Bigger than the God I serve. I had bought into the lie that this problem was too small, that I was too insignificant, that there were bigger and better things to pray about–and that I should deal on my own instead of bothering God with me. Maybe you have bought into similar lies at some point?
If you are there, or have been there, or know someone who is…chill for a second. Take a breath and repeat after me: Grace and peace.
Find a way to let go of the lies and embrace the grace God is holding out. Then, cash in on that peace.
xo
Amy
