The Sound of Grace

What makes us who we are?  What defines us?  When we meet someone we usually introduce ourselves by name, family, and then what we "do".  Our profession.  Sometimes I wonder why what we do is so important.  In today's society so many people get caught up in status, job title, vacation spot, travel, cars, house, clothes, the list goes on.  We get so caught up in all of these status' that it consumes our every being and makes us "who we are."  Then we forget about what we are actually supposed to be here on this earth for.  These things begin to leech onto us and change our mind set.  They slowly consume us into monsters of greed, hatred, jealously, and coventry.  Before we know it our lives change.  We lose things, our relationships fall into shambles, we lose people who were special to us, we make horrific decisions, and we ultimately spin out of control until everything flies off of us and we have nothing left.
We've all been here.
It's a nasty and dark place to be.
It seems like when we've hit rock bottom, we always search around in the dark rummaging for any hope that's left to save us from the misery.  We search for some thing to relieve us from the pain.  Sometimes we search and find the wrong things.
When we put our hope into anything or anyone that is not Jesus, they fail us.  Every time.  It's so easy for us to put our full trust and faith into things and people, but so hard for us to forgive whenever these things fail us.  And then we run from these things and get new things.  That's when the spinning begins.
Why is this so hard to figure out when the answer is always right in front of our faces?  There.  All the time, chiming in our ear and pounding through our hearts.  It's just easy to not see it when we've been subdued to "things" for so long.  It's what we've been used to.  But the truth is, when you are thrown flat on your face, you can find your strength to just roll over and grasp on to a little hope to look at what is up above you.  Hope.
We serve a God who loves us.  Everyday.  Even when we don't talk to Him, or spend time building the relationship we must have with Him.  He's still there whenever we sin and turn away from Him and break His heart.  He's still there with arms wide open.  He took all of our nasty sin that we've already and will commit and was beaten, struck, humiliated, and tortured, then hung on a cross to slowly die.  For us.  Our sinful selves--He died for us when He certainly did not have to.
So why do we find it so hard to forgive and to love? Why is it so easy to ridicule and to judge?
We must have grace.  We must be more like Christ.  Search for him in the darkness when you've lost it all and when your lying on your back rummaging for any little thing to help.
Find comfort in the fact that He's been waiting for you all along.  He's waiting to rescue you from it all and to help you along every step of the way. Things aren't always going to be easy.  Why would they?  God wants us to learn to submit to Him and He wants to teach us to be more like Him.  And that takes time and experiences.  Share the grace that He's given to us with others so that when they see you, they really see a reflection of Him.
Blast the sound of grace so loudly that people are engulfed by the melody and want to hear the rest of His song.