“If you would tell me, tell me true,” a wise old man once said. “There isn’t time enough for lies.”
And when we’ve polished all our trophies, and sung again our victory songs, we come at last to stories too painful to be false. Each honest story unwraps our wounds, our hurts—as well as those we’ve given.
We grieve the loved ones whom we’ve lost—a spouse; a friend; a much-loved child—though some of them still live and breathe. We mourn the loss of innocence; we’ve soaked up toxic sums of greed. We laugh at violence and war; we cheer for “heroes” who display our poorest human qualities. We feel the sadness for what’s never fixed or mended or repaired.
And so it’s not an accident that we know more of Jesus as a healer than any other role. He stepped into the broken story of our world with grace that made the lepers dance and unlocked tongues that never spoke. He gave the parents back lost children; He cast out evil spirits and refashioned sin-sick attitudes. He told us of a Father who kindly waits for us to finish playing prodigal.
And when He died to heal us of our greatest hurt, He took our pain and made it His. “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the punishment that made us whole, and by His bruises we are healed” (Isa 53:5-6).
The good news is that grace still heals. It closes wounds; it soothes our scars. And someday soon, it leads us home.
So stay in grace. -Bill Knott
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Why We Forgive (July 31, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Can't Help Ourselves (July 24, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Say 'Thank You' (July 17, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Believably Good News (July 10, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Opening The Gates (July 3, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: One Good Work (June 26, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Walking Together (June 19, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Righting Our Wrongs (June 12, 2020)
Dixil Rodriguez: Forecast: Heavy Rain (June 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: First Personal Plural (June 5, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Widening The Circle (May 29, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Received—And Given (May 22, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Grace Without Fear (May 15, 2020)
Jared Thurmon: Signs of the End (May 2020)
Transformation Tips: A Bible Primer For Crisis Management (May 2020)
Brinda Kiš: The Offer (May 2020)
Searching The Obvious: How Are We Doing? (May 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Grace Reaching (May 1, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: All Of Grace (April 24, 2020)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: Trusting What's True (April 17, 2020)
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