Picked Up by the Hand of Grace

My daughter Rachel was baptized this past Sunday.  She had been asking about baptism for over a year.  Finally, it seemed that the time was right.  She was one of three baptized that day, and was the only child. 

The service took place in the swimming pool of one of our church members.  The pastor led Rachel into water that was up to her chest.  When the he lowered her into the water, her feet floated up and she kicked her legs around a bit before she could get her feet back under her.  She came up out of the water, and I wrapped her in a towel and held her close.  I was so happy for her.

During the fifty-minute drive home on my motor scooter, Rachel fell asleep.  (Just so you know, I’ve had a special seat made for the bike so that she could sleep safely on these longer journeys.)  She woke up when we arrived at our gate.  I have been trying to establish a routine where we work together on certain normal activities.  For instance, when we get home, she closes the gate while I unlock the door of the house.  Often, she decides she wants to do something else other than her job.  If I remind her, she might say, “No Mommy, YOU do it. I’m too tired.” (Yeah, right.)

This time, though, Rachel went right away to do her job.  She commented, “Now
that I’m baptized, I really want to help right away without being told.”  Needless to say, that brought a smile to this mother’s face, and I commended her for her helpfulness. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that helpful, positive attitude was guaranteed to last...all the time...every day...forever?  Wouldn’t it be fantastic if each and every one of my own good intentions were carried out perfectly?  Do you know anyone who fits that description, except Jesus Himself?  I certainly don’t.

It is true that sometimes God sets a person free from some particular struggle or sin in an instant, dramatically and completely working a transformation.  Most of the time, though, He works on us bit-by-bit.  We walk with Him, and in His power, we win battles inside ourselves.  Sometimes, we stray from Him and fall flat on our faces.  The truly wonderful reality of life with Jesus is that when we do fall, we find that He extends His hand of grace to pick us up, and then He continues walking with us on the journey.