I always hated those days when my girls were in junior high and high school. There may be no more "cruel" process than how most schools handle cheerleader and pom squad tryouts. The winners (and losers) were revealed on a list posted on the gym door for all to see. I can still remember the faces of those crushed by not being chosen - some of them year after year. Most of the time by girls made it. But not every time. And my heart hurt for their broken ones.
The daughter of a friend of mine experienced that last week. She had worked hard for years as a dancer to make her college's dance squad. And she is a great dancer - one of the best in the state. She had worked hard to be in the best possible condition. Everything was geared for success. But her name wasn't on the list.
While that drama was being played out last weekend, a series of Last Chance track meets were held around the nation. They serve one purpose - to give track and field athletes one last chance to qualify for the limited number of spots at this weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships at Texas A&M. They do the best they can, wait to see how everyone else does, and then wait some more to see who makes the cut and whose names are on the list. When the list came out on Monday, many discovered that their best wasn't good enough. They weren't on it. Some missed the cut by one-hundredth of a second or one centimeter.
These kinds of things make me appreciative of the grace of God all the more. No limited number of winners. No missing it by just a little. Because it isn't about how good I am or how perfect I become. It is about how perfect Jesus was and his death for me. It isn't about pleasing a God who is looking to only accept a few but about drawing near to a God who desires none to perish and all to be saved. Christianity isn't about what I do to be perfect, but about what Christ has done for me. It is about the grace of God expressed to us in Jesus. It is about my trust and faith in him, my obedient submission to him.
There is no cut to make. Just a gift to accept.
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I'm not going to take my computer with me over Spring Break, so there probably won't be a blog post for a week or so. But I will be posting to Twitter, so look for me there!
The daughter of a friend of mine experienced that last week. She had worked hard for years as a dancer to make her college's dance squad. And she is a great dancer - one of the best in the state. She had worked hard to be in the best possible condition. Everything was geared for success. But her name wasn't on the list.
While that drama was being played out last weekend, a series of Last Chance track meets were held around the nation. They serve one purpose - to give track and field athletes one last chance to qualify for the limited number of spots at this weekend's NCAA Indoor Championships at Texas A&M. They do the best they can, wait to see how everyone else does, and then wait some more to see who makes the cut and whose names are on the list. When the list came out on Monday, many discovered that their best wasn't good enough. They weren't on it. Some missed the cut by one-hundredth of a second or one centimeter.
These kinds of things make me appreciative of the grace of God all the more. No limited number of winners. No missing it by just a little. Because it isn't about how good I am or how perfect I become. It is about how perfect Jesus was and his death for me. It isn't about pleasing a God who is looking to only accept a few but about drawing near to a God who desires none to perish and all to be saved. Christianity isn't about what I do to be perfect, but about what Christ has done for me. It is about the grace of God expressed to us in Jesus. It is about my trust and faith in him, my obedient submission to him.
There is no cut to make. Just a gift to accept.
************
I'm not going to take my computer with me over Spring Break, so there probably won't be a blog post for a week or so. But I will be posting to Twitter, so look for me there!
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