… the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27)
“Hey, look at me,” my five-year-old sister shouted.
Our family was on vacation in Utah and we floated in the Great Salt Lake as though we had lifejackets on. Our engineer father could explain how a salinity of eight times the ocean displaced objects, but we didn’t grasp all that. We were busy holding our heads, hands, and feet above the surface and giggling.
The grace of Christ is another mystery. It is the mystery of all mysteries. How can God accept me when I know, and I know he knows, the darkness in my heart? Theologians say it has to do with substitutional atonement, wherein my sin is transferred to the crucified body of Christ. I don’t grasp the depth of all that. I do know that when I fall into his grace, it holds me up.
I don’t float often enough. I make a mental acknowledgment that Jesus died for me, then return to proving my worth. My human nature wants to tread with self effort. But I have to face the reality that, without Christ, I’d plummet to the bottom. My only hope is to relax and trust his sufficiency.
Today, I need to make time for reposing in the buoyancy of grace. I must quiet my heart and delight in bobbing above spiritual drowning. Jesus around me, in me, through me—this is the greatest mystery of all time. I can’t understand it, I can only float in it, and giggle.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I rest in the mystery of your love.