Monday night I stayed up to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game. Because one of the teams playing was from the west coast, the game did not start until after 9 p.m. For a morning person who gets up with the dog around 6 a.m. it was a real challenge for me just to stay awake.
On top of that, it was not the most well-played or well-refereed game. There were star players on both sides who did not play well. Add to that an inordinate number of fouls called on both teams, and referees who went to the video review too often to make sure they made the right calls, and you get a game that lost much of its luster.
And yet, in spite of the sloppy play, the star players sitting on the bench, and the many delays - at the end of the night one team was still crowned the champion! For at least one of the teams, something very good resulted. Isn't it interesting that even out of a messy, less-than-perfect game - something outstanding can still emerge?
That makes me think about how God is at work in our lives and in the world. There are times in my own life when I feel like I am not playing the game of life anywhere near the level I should be. Other times I look around at our world and it seems like one big mess - filled with too many "fouls" and a lot of missed shots. And yet somehow God manages to bring something good out of all that mess.
Maybe that is one way to think about grace. When our less-than-perfect actions in life deserve a mediocre outcome, God intervenes and brings something good out of the mess. I hope you perform well today, but even if you don't - know that through God's grace, something good will come out in the end! Paul puts it this way: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Prayer for Today
Gracious God, sometimes our life seems like a big mess. Yet we believe that you can work for our good in all things. This day, work your good in our lives. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
