Grace Upside Down

Sometimes God allows things to be turned upside down for our own good, amen? I thought of that yesterday while hanging completely upside down. I wish it were because I was cool, trendy or a serious Batman fan. Well, that one may be true. But, no. See, because of my disk disease, an inversion table is a fixture in my home. Of course, Loretta makes me hang around downstairs in my cave, but each day, I do everything in my power to help relieve the symptoms of an otherwise irreversible trend. My disks are failing rapidly, and they're unforgiving.

In a recent article with InTouch Magazine, Max Lucado was asked, "Why do you think we miss out on this aspect of grace and try to live for God on our own strength? Max answered by saying, "Grace goes so contrary to everything else in life. Everything else in life is a barter system. We work, so we get paid. We love others; we hope they will love us back. Then we come into a relationship with God with the same idea — that it’s going to be some type of exchange with a merit system. Religion says that if you do good, God will notice you. The Bible says God has already noticed you. He’s loved you and adopted you, and given you a new heart. Now go out and do good. It just really kind of flips everything upside down."

Yeah, grace does that. When everyone and everything is unforgiving, God's grace turns it upside down. I can no sooner turn back the clock on my disks than I can take back yesterday's sin. But Jesus gives grace. Grace great enough to secure my soul forever. And that's why I hang upside down; just in case He gives me another day to share that news.

- Jimmy Peña