Air Freshener

“But God—so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead—slain—by our own shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for it is by grace—His favor and mercy which you did not deserve—that you are saved, delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation. And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together in the heavenly sphere by virtue of our being in Christ Jesus. He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable, limitless, surpassing riches of His free grace—His unmerited favor—in His kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.”—Ephesians 2:4-7 Amplified

Sometimes, quite often really, you just have to remember to breathe in rich words like these.

Because as glorious as it is to remember the promise of Ephesians 2:8 —“For it is by grace you have been saved…” — it’s those verses that lead up to it that are worth remembering, too, especially during times of much-needed attitude adjustment. The symptoms are unmistakable: that distinct feeling deep in your gut that borders on “butterflies” and queasiness when you realize that your attitude hasn’t even come close to being Christ-like: the way you reacted to a comment, stewed over a situation, or dwelt on the “can’t be done”s instead of the “find a way”s. 

And inevitably, because you're desperate for a way out, half-joking words to break the tension come out of your mouth: “God must be running out of patience with me!” At the same time, in the back of your mind, the enemy of your soul adds lying fuel, “Well, I wonder if that’s true?”

To which we can change the atmosphere entirely by replying (and reminding our own souls, too), that Ephesians 2 is right on, because the Word of God is still active and powerful, a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and a sword that pierces every attempt of darkness the would try to invade from sunrise to sunset. Words of life, from the heart:

“How can God, the maker of heaven and earth, run out of anything—including patience, grace, and mercy? It is written: God is RICH in mercy and has INCOMPARABLE riches of His grace expressed toward me—in the light and carefree days, and, well, yes, even on “those” days. Always. Endlessly. It is written: His kindness and goodness—and patience—toward His kids is IMMEASURABLE and LIMITLESS. My God doesn’t fold His arms and shake His head no matter how many times I choose to look and run to Him when the stink quotient of my attitude rises. On the contrary, He is richly all in toward me, continually grabs me by the hand, and gets me turned around (again!) in the right direction on this wonderful, never-dull, winding road toward Journey’s finish line."

Few things are truly amazing, but speaking those truths aloud sure qualifies.

Breathe deeply...attitude adjusted.

[ADAPTED FROM 11-19-14]