Change reminds us that grace is real
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really a disciple.
– Acts 9:26 (CEB)
Great agent of change,
There are so many places where I would like to believe change is possible. There are violent and dangerous people in the world, and we have allowed the fear of them to overwhelm us. That paranoia has shut down our dialogue our civil society. We have allowed ourselves to become bitter and disconnected from each other.
I wish that we were able to learn to see other people as individuals made in your image. After all, that is precisely the grace our faith calls us to believe in. Unfortunately, we Christians are sometimes the least grace-filled individuals I have ever met.
In this time, I ask you to guide me when I speak to others about change and transformation. Reminder me that part of the transformation I would like to see is change in my own self. Help me to continue to become the person you want me to be. Help me to become stronger and better as a result of all that I have gone through.
One of the reasons that I know these changes are possible is because I have seen them in my own life. It is not only the ancient biblical stories. It is the reality of individuals I have known who have lived lives of addiction and then come through the other side on the path to recovery. They have damaged their relationships and selves. Eventually, however, they were able to turn their lives around and become better human beings than they ever had before.
Truthfully, it was not they who turned themselves around. It was you. You provided grace and love. You gave them the support they needed. You filled them with your Holy Spirit in such a way that they were able to be better than they ever had before. Please continue to work that grace in their lives. Make that same effort in mine. Allow me to become more fully a child of God focused on carrying out the calling you have placed on my life.
Thank you for all that you have done. Thank you for the resources you have provided. Thank you for the reminder that you are not done with me. Thank you for people who have shown me what it means to follow you and to be transformed by your Spirit.
Amen.
(This reflection from my prayer journal was inspired by Vicki Kemper’s UCC Still Speaking Devotional, Even Spots Can Be Changed, January 11, 2020)
