(Author’s Note: This article is a reprint, but one which might address our recent discussion and upcoming presentation of ‘Unredeemed.’ A key to looking for God’s activity in even the hard places of life is in knowing that his custom-fitted grace is always available to us…just for the asking.)One of my favorite stories from childhood was about Goldilocks and the three bears. You remember…the one where the little blonde girl happens upon a house in the woods and ends up sitting in someone else’s chair, sampling someone else’s soup, and sleeping in someone else’s bed. If memory serves (and lately, I confess, it seems a tad overworked), the catch phrase in each of those situations was something like “this one is JUST RIGHT.” There was always something very satisfying about that statement, since to me it validated that little people, like big people, are individuals with different needs and different tastes. Never mind that blondie was breaking and entering. I identified with her curiosity, and, as a high J on the Meyers-Briggs personality inventory, I understood her need for closure before moving on to the next task.
As a child I was labeled a worrier, particularly by my mom. She often commented in my grade school years that I would have an ulcer at 15. What did I have to worry about? Well, for one thing, I was going to be getting this ulcer in a few years according to my mother. And then there were the monthly checkups to see if I had bitten my finger nails. If I was guilty (and, obviously, there was no hiding the evidence), I promptly received a spanking. (Not sure which was the cause and which was the effect in that case!)
But part of my anxiety was produced by witnessing sad, tragic or frightful things which happened to others and then projecting myself into their circumstances. Once, I got physically sick following a trip to the junk yard, where my father took me to view the wrecked remains of a car driven by a member of our church. Just seeing the steering wheel imbedded in the driver’s seat traumatized me, so vivid was my imagination.
And then there was the time, while in the back seat of my parents’ car, we happened past the local hospital, and I saw a poor man who had no arms or legs sitting upright in a wheelchair. At first horrified, my shock quickly moved to fear that someday I would be so handicapped…then to worry that I would be utterly helpless and totally dependent on others…and finally to despair that I would not be able to handle it and probably die.
The mental and emotional progression which seems almost humorous to me now was very real then, and I will never forget the comfort my mom brought me at that moment. She quietly reminded me that the man I saw in the wheel chair had just the grace he needed for that situation. The reason I couldn’t imagine handling the challenges he faced was because God wasn’t asking me to. And, I concluded that day, that whatever God allowed into my life would be accompanied by a custom-made grace that fit my particular circumstances “just right.”
One of Webster’s definitions of grace is simply “help given man by God.” Since I have concluded, like Goldilocks, that I am unique and that my life circumstances are similar to and yet unlike anyone else’s at any given moment, a “one size fits all” grace simply will not do. Rather, my loving Father tailor-makes the particular assistance, the comfort, the faith, and the ability I need to endure with joy whatever comes my way.
Have you ever found yourself looking at someone in grief or misery and saying to yourself, “I could never handle that,” “I would never survive that much pain,” or worse yet, “I would lose my faith.” In the Old Testament, Job’s wife tried to go there, and her conclusion was “curse God and die.” In the HISTORY’S WORST ADVICE category, we have a winner! I believe that reaction might come from an assumption that God is not very discriminating or particular in the type of care we need for life’s challenges. We might see this type of grace as just some nebulous, theological truism or the fatalistic reminder that this world is just ‘a vale of tears.’ But would any thinking, feeling person ever offer the same counsel and comfort to a person who had just become paralyzed as one would to a child who had just lost a fish? Both involve sensitivity, wisdom, and a grace that “just fits.”
So it is with our heavenly Father, who offers us precisely what we need when we need it to handle everything that life throws at us. Unlike His grace (undeserved love) that is universal and non-discriminating, offering forgiveness and new life to all who call upon Him, the grace that supports and tends to us in our daily struggles is always a custom-fit.
Until God redeems the life experiences which we wish had never happened, we have two choices: push Him away, clench our fists, and feel sorry for ourselves OR draw near to Him, open our hands, and receive His amazing, personalized grace for every situation. Sing with conviction this weekend! Many need to hear your message. For them, it will feel ‘just right.’
-tad
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