Back on Track
As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him … ––Psalm 103:15-17, NKJV
When we slip up—yell at our child, lie at work, watch something we shouldn’t watch—getting back on track can be hard. It seems like the older I get, however, the more quickly I can recognize and appropriate God’s grace—the timeline of “getting over” my shame or embarrassment and making things right seems to get shorter and shorter. While I’m grateful for that, I certainly haven’t “arrived.”
We’ve all heard the verse about how God casts our sin as far as the east is from the west (David writes this in Psalm 103:12). It’s a great thought. What we forget, however, is our position vs. our condition. Our position in Christ is as a set-free, all-debts-paid, Kingdom son of the heavenly Father. Our condition, of course, is as a flawed creature living in a fallen world. The mistake we make—and that Satan loves to trick us with—is when we fixate on condition (a sinner) rather than our position (a saved and set-free child of God).
After David tells us about how God casts our sins away, he proceeds to remind us of both our condition and position: though we are as transient as a flower in a field (condition), the mercy of the Lord goes on and on—it’s everlasting for those who love and fear Him (position).
It’s much easier to get back on track after we fail when we remember that our identity is not based on conditional or transient factors, but on the unending love of a Father who offered up His beloved Son so that we may be with Him “from everlasting to everlasting.” The next time you feel guilty or embarrassed about your sin, remember that the price has already been paid for it. Take it lightly? No. But keep it in perspective—confess, amend, and then re-engage with His everlasting grace.
Father, my life is a snap of Your fingers, over in an instant. Let me come back to You quickly each time I fail myself, others, or You.