Spiritus Creative

I saw my favorite sign the other day.

“BOOKS FREE.”

The old copy box was placed on a church table. A table that hasn’t moved from its location for 20 years.  I grabbed 2-3 titles that looked interesting and popped them in my bag.  A  few weeks later I sat in a church meeting to review findings from visionary prayer groups.  After we poured out findings and asked more questions, the facilitator asked this, “When, with the help of God, we have created an atmosphere of an amazing church family what will our characteristics be?”

I couldn’t put my finger on it that night, but I felt close to being able to answer this.  Like I felt the answer should be simple, but why was it so elusive?  Everyone in the room was quiet too. Days later I cleaned out my bag and sat down with What’s So Amazing about Grace? I was only one page into my discarded book find when it finally hit me.

The answer is GRACE.

That atmosphere of family that our vision teams craved is an atmosphere of grace. That place where we are safe.  The place where we are loved and always welcome.  That place were exactly who you are is beautiful.

“Our souls seek God’s love whether we know it or not and only Christianity dares to make that love unconditional,” says Yancey.  “The world is where we try to fill our souls – the world though serves us something that makes us feel worse about ourselves.”

The church has the opportunity to fill souls too, but what are we serving?  Are we serving up  the same stuff as the world?  Guilt, superiority, shame, condemnation. Things that crush the soul or are serving what the soul really needs?  Are we passing out what Jesus freely gave?

Unconditional love.  Unity.  Affirmation.  Joy.  Healing.  Forgiveness.

Right there, in the box of books to be thrown out the next day, I found grace.  Right there in the bag next to me all through that meeting, the book waited.  I am reminded believers don’t see as the world sees.  In Christ, we are new.  My eyes are new. Your eyes are new. Do we see the souls around us, messed up (like us) yet FULLY loved by God?