Divine Cure (and more)

I have a confession to make: Yesterday I was rather graceless.

It had been a tough day, with two home sick and an aching body. (I am amazed how much an injured appendage can affect the rest of the body.) However, the most difficult aspect had been facing another day not knowing the extent of the damage to my knee. For the better part of two weeks, I’ve been waiting to get a diagnosis. Is it a torn meniscus, a sprain, or a tear of the ligaments? Should I try to “walk it off” or use crutches completely? Will there be surgery or can I get by with therapy?

Those questions should soon be answered, thankfully, as I see an orthopedic doctor this week. Nevertheless, it likely will still be weeks, perhaps months, before treatment and rehab will be complete. How often between now and then will I snap at those I love for no fault of their own?

I am thankful my family is understanding and forgiving—willing to cut me some slack when my irritation speaks.

Even more, I am thankful to serve a God who is never graceless. I am grateful to worship the One who offers an instant diagnosis and a divine cure.

For spiritually, we don’t need to wonder what our affliction is. The symptoms are obvious, the evidence undeniable:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

We also don’t need to wait to discover the outcome of such an illness. Ephesians 2:1 states it plainly:

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

The diagnosis is sin, and it is fatal.

What a relief, then, to know that there is an effective treatment—in fact, there is a cure! Better yet, the treatment has already been completed for us! Our gracious Father sent down His only Son, Jesus Christ to take our place, to die for our sins. Jesus willingly gave up His life to cure us, to atone for our every nasty thought, our every tiny infraction of the law. Through the Son’s agonizing death and subsequent resurrection, we are wiped clean of our affliction of sin. In its place, we are given eternal life.

The only therapy needed is to simply rest in our faith that Jesus is Our Savior and repent of those thoughts and actions that lead to death.

For the Savior, He never has graceless days.

“But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved” (Ephesians 2:4–6).

Are you aware of your fatal affliction? Do you know there is One who offers you, not only treatment, but a cure? Why not rest in His mercy and grace and be healed? If you would like to talk to someone more personally about salvation through Jesus Christ, feel free to email me. I would be honored.

Although forgiveness, redemption, and salvation are the ultimate blessings, there are endless other gifts to be thankful for. Here is a peek into my January praises (see all my past joys here and check out the book that started it all: One Thousand Gifts):

254. College financial possibilities; 255. Lunch with my boy, including fruit pizza; 256. Home;

257. Cheery kitchen walls; 258. Corn in yummy taco soup; 259. Smiley Pooh bear;

260. Falling snow; 261. Boys at bottom of sledding hill; 262. Showering with my silly daughter;

263. My timer announces break time; 264. Washing machine doing its thing; 265. Swishing of skis over freshly fallen snow;

266. Snow glistening in the early morning light; 267. Seeing my boys on stage; 268. Warm lights of home;

269. Wedding ring; 270. Time given to my loved ones; 271. A night walk with my 16 year old;

272. Watching my boys use their gifts; 273. Helping hands; 274. Enjoying high school speech presentations;

275. Roughhousing with my children; 276. Safe travel in the snow; 277. Miracles in disguise;

278. “remarkably and wonderfully made”; 279.  “grace” and “glory”; 280. John 3:16;

281. Creamy peanut butter; 282. Warm fire in subzero temperatures; 283. Alone time w/ hubby;

284. Depth of a son; 285. Fleeting nature of a moment in time; 286. Impact of past events;

287. Gorgeous red morning; 288. Danny’s first speech event 4 years ago; 289. End of a season;

290. Weathered wisdom; 291. Silky brown hair; 292. My life;

293. Grace; 294. Freedom; 295. Salvation;

296. Precious cookbook of memories; 297. Favorite blueberry dishes; 298. Deep blue sky;

299. Violin; 300. Cane (who knew we’d actually use it); 301. An afghan crocheted with a Grandma’s love;

302. Lori; 303. Awesome ski instructor; 304. Snuggling together to read;

305. Online friends; 306. Slowing down; 307. Words on a screen;

308. Servanthood; 309. Acceptance; 310. Encouragement;

311. The song “Blessings” by Laura Story; 312. The soft sound of the word “Mama”; 313. Love of in-laws;

314. Childhood memories relived through my own children; 315. Pedestal cake server; 316. Ancient Words of the Bible;

317. Son’s drawing; 318. Dawn’s compassion; 319. Special memorial photo of my father-in-law—a man of incredible faith and love for the Lord.

320. Understanding and forgiving family; 321. A Father who is never graceless