Accidental Grace

What a way to ring in the New Year! Cold blustery winds sent snow swirling around trees outside my hospital window. From my hospital bed, I looked up at my family and asked, "What happened?" One side of my face was swollen and covered in bandages. I had no recollection of how it occurred. It was explained to me that I had fallen from a ladder, landed face first on a large boulder and had been rushed in to the emergency in time to save my life. It seemed unfair. I was a successful contractor and had been checking on a building under construction over the holidays when my ladder slid out from under me on some ice and I had, in the blink of an eye, landed on the verge of death. Fortunately there was a worker on the far side of the building who had heard the crash and he immediately called the air ambulance.

The accident caused some damage to my optical nerve resulting in a loss of some sight in one eye. My life would be changed forever. Not because of my eyesight which I quickly adapted to. Rather it was my gradual realization of the closeness that I had come to death and my gratitude to God for giving me a second chance. I had first learned of God’s plan of salvation as a young boy. It was a truth that I accepted and that gave me peace through the death of my mother from cancer.

Entering my teen years, I put the gospel aside and led a self seeking life which continued into adulthood as I concentrated on making my general contracting company profitable and building a legacy to myself.

Like the prodigal son in the Bible, I had spent my time and money foolishly and finally came to my senses after realizing that the peace that I had had in Christ as a child had given my life purpose and had given me peace through all of life’s problems. I recommitted my life to Christ and determined to focus on the "bigger picture" enrolled in the LEAD class, a ministry preparation course in order to be equipped for serving according to God’s will for my life.
How about you? Have you ever thought that you would like to have meaning and purpose in your life?

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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