Glimpses of Grace

One of the fun things about getting the occasional book to review is receiving a gem that you are pretty sure you *needed* to read.  Receiving Glimpses of Grace:  Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home by Gloria Furman from Crossway was one of those moments.
 

The truth is, I've been in a bit of a spiritual funk lately.  Without going into a lot of detail, I've been blaming it on circumstances (mostly out of my control) and even on other people.  I have taken the focus off Jesus and instead focused on discouragement, frustration, and weariness.  I have even focused on myself and what can I *do* to "fix it".

Then along came this book about treasuring the gospel "in the mundane."  How does the gospel affect my daily life, she challenges us.  In the midst of keeping up with housework, feeding our families, training our children, teaching our children, practicing hospitality, dealing with pain. . .whatever makes up our day-to-day life, how does the gospel affect it minute by minute?

I don't love everything about this book, but there are enough points that I truly *needed* to get that I am very thankful to have read it.  Here are some of the key lessons the Lord is teaching me.

• It's not about your circumstances

"Our faith and hope are in God (I Peter 1:21), not in our ever-changing circumstances or in the comforts of our homes and meticulously planned routines" (21).

"If God doesn't rule your mundane, then he doesn't rule you.  Because that's where you live" (27).

"We have opportunities every day to delight in God. . .But every day we ignore the instruments that God would use in our lives to make us holy" (72).

"I resolved to organize my circumstances better to alleviate some of the pressure.  Get the kids on a better nap schedule, sort out a cleaning routine, and get my spiritual disciplines in order.  Maybe then I would feel closer to God again, when my house is in better order.  But something inside of me said that controlling my circumstances wouldn't fill the void in my soul.  You can't organize your way into communion with God" (78).

"We say 'God is good,' when our children are obedient, we don't feel any pain, the house is in order, and we spent two cheerful hours doing homemade crafts together without any whining. . .But God is good for deeper reasons than our experience of temporary relief in fluctuating earthly circumstances" (129).

• It's all about the grace of God.  There is simply no room for "I" in that equation

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight (Ephesians 1:7-8).  At no point can we say 'I did it!  It was hard work, but I tried my best and I did it.'"  (20).

(When I'm trying harder in my own power rather than treasuring  the gospel) "At the end of the day I'm steeped in self-righteousness--basking in pride or wallowing in guilt that I could have done a better job" (31).

Justifying yourself through good works and being declared righteous because of Christ's good works are in no way similar (44).

• I need the gospel.  I need God.  Period.

"Are you among those who say 'I have heard (the gospel) all before; why must I hear it again?'  If so, your heart has become dull, satiated, and shameless, and this food does not taste good to you.  This is the same thing that happened to the Jews in the wilderness when they grew tired of eating manna.  But if you are a Christian, you will never grow weary, but will long to hear this message often and to speak about it forever" (48, quoted from Martin Luther).

Everything is vanity when you're wallowing in boredom. . .your soul is so tired of running a spiritual rat race that nothing brings you joy anymore (64).

"Martin Luther said 'Although it hurts us when he takes his own from us, his good will should be a greater comfort to us than all his gifts, for God is immeasurably better than all his gifts" (131).

"When God mercifully strips us of our idols, he has in mind to give us something better instead--himself. . .We need faith to trust that God doesn't merely 'know what's best for us,' but that he is what's best for us no matter what our circumstances are" (136).