grace

I had an experience a few weeks ago that has been on my mind ever since.

It was a piece of spiritual revelation, just for me.

It happened, in true christine fashion, in the outdoors. 

while pouring, pouring rain. 

I can't remember why, but I was just in a bad mood. 

I didn't care it was raining, I didn't care that I was tired and grouchy and would probably make a mess of my pink nike jacket, I just grabbed the bike and left. 

I rode, as usual, up aerial heights towards roxyann. 

And as I rode, my attention was focused on the trailing lines of brown flying past me on the trail.

These were small rivers of mud, dust, and all things dirty that had been on the trail before the rain. 

The rain was coming down, and pushing it all downward in a rushing stream. 

And immediately, this piece of revelation came to me.

The dust and mud and grime was sin. It was deceit. 

doubt.

discouragement.

pain.

loneliness.

frustration.

insecurity.

judgment.

gossip.

mistakes.

I made the choice to grab the bike. I made the choice to use brute force to ride over the dirty gravel, to get past the mud and dust. 

But I couldn't change those things. 

They were still there.

Every ride, every time I exerted my own strength, I still had to overcome that same dirty path.

Only the drops of rain,

only the grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ,

could fully wash it all away. 

Grace, by virtue of its meaning, denotes divine help or strength, given through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

It is through this grace that we obtain the strength to accomplish things we otherwise would not have the means to do. 

Grace is needed by every soul because of the fall of Adam and universal individual weakness. 

It is an enabling power. 

I could not erase those bad things on my own, even exerting all my strength.

Only He could wash it away completely. 

I was riding past every mistake, every moment of loss and hopelessness, every point of despair.

He made up all the difference and sent cleansing drops to push it all away.

So that I don't have to look back. 

Once the earth is left clean after rain, inevitably, bad things will still happen.

Dust or mud will eventually cover these clovers and lilies. 

And I will, most definitely, falter. 

Tears will be shed, pain and weakness will return, some things beyond my control and others not.

But as I do my part, 

the rain will come to make me whole again.

It will always come. 

I am thankful for the grace of Jesus Christ. 

And for this, my joy is full forever.