Our Corner of the Market on God

My wife and I had a particular good chat with friends of ours who have been struggling through a difficult marriage. Through my conversation with the husband, I learned he had for quite some time, been apart from his wife and both had sought and worked through the process of emotional healing. And continue to do so. During his time away, he also was away from most Christian culture and influence (i.e.: church, para church organizations, other Christians, ministry work, etc.). During this time, it became startlingly aparent to him how active God was in the every day life of the average human being who does not know or acknowledge the work or person of God in his/her life. In fact, the work of the grace of God, in his view (as it seemed to me listening to him) was no less significant or potent or restricted by what 'we' as Christians do or don't do. In his own words he summed it up as this: 'God's grace transcends the Christian community.'

And I think that most Christians would agree with this. His grace is beyond what we can imagine and is active in this world all over. We see it in the beauty of every created creature and in the wide and beautiful earth He's made. We acknowledge it in our own lives when describing how God works to bring us into relationship with Himself. And yet, when we've 'made it into the fold', we get this funny notion sometimes that the only good and sanctioned work of the Holy Spirit happens within our church walls and amongst our churchy friends and ministers. How religiously stifling and presumptuous we are! As though we (the church) have somehow cornered the market on mercy and forgiveness so that we are the only true conduit of God's grace to other people.

It's time for me to get out there to see God's grace being given by God Himself. And to give it anywhere and all the time.