Letting Grace Seep In

When we allow grace to truly cover us, it seeps deeply into our souls allowing nothing bad to stick.

Last spring, by hubby and I decided to paint our rails on our front steps. We had stained them previously and there was none left. The bare wood was exposed. We decided to use paint this time, hoping it would last longer. We sanded and primed first. We followed all of the directions.

It looked great when we were finished and it stayed that way for a time. But, fairly quickly, that paint we put on, began peeling off. We scratched our heads, not really understanding why. As the weeks went on, it looked horrible.

A little research informed us that since we originally used stain, it was still there. Even though we could no longer see it, it was buried deeply within the wood and it was oil based, so latex paint was never going to adhere for long. It may look good for a little while, but it would eventually come off.

As I examined the peeling rails and I searched for some remnant of the stain, I was reminded that we too are like that wood, when we spend some time with Jesus. When we spend time in prayer and reading the Bible, the deep truths of grace and redemption permeate deeply into our souls where they stay forever.

Now the enemy may try to convince us that our faith is not real or that we are not enough. The enemy may try to entice us to stray and we will sometimes fail and end up with a coat of gunk on our hearts and souls.

But, the amazing thing about grace is that it will keep that gunk from sticking for long. Once we have known the peace, freedom and joy that come from grace, we know that it will always shine through because like that oil stain, it lies deeply within us, even when we can’t see it.

Wherever we find ourselves on this journey, we can rest assured that once we belong to Jesus, He is a permanent part of us. He gets the final say and no one else.

Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you did too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂