Encouraging Word: Right now, right here

By Pastor Tim Herset

It may have been a Monday morning when a dad’s eye caught his daughter beginning to cry, and the look on his face revealed the unchanging reality of God’s love. Maybe it was Tuesday afternoon when the seventh-grade teacher spoke words of hope and care to the boy who had always thought he was broken and beyond repair. Was it on Wednesday when the quiet, listening presence of the Spirit opened the eyes and ears of that squinty-eyed, hard-of-hearing neighbor to the good news in the Scriptures? Thinking back, it turns out it was Thursday when the thought popped into her head that the same old story she had heard time and again was, in fact, true. For him, it was a good Friday when the overbearing burdens of failure finally gave way to the freedom of forgiveness found in the work of someone else. One woman said it was Saturday when she was reading the Bible and found her soul refreshed. Then there was the man who, one Sunday, started to pray, and it was the beginning of living life in a new way.

It does not matter the day, time, or place. The point is we can all encounter “amazing grace.” Grace is what changes the world. It’s the source of life and light. Grace fits like a glove for me and for you. Each of us is unique, but we’ve each got an identical longing. Deep down in your soul, out of your control.

What about the real you, battered and bruised, well-worn and used? Is it the face you see in the mirror in the morning? Or that look at the end of the day that functions for your family as a warning? It could be a smile or a scowl, tears that are happy or sad. What Jesus wants is you, whether you feel good or bad.

Right now and right here, not tomorrow or someday. We don’t know if someday will ever come to be. And that’s the only real requirement: to be. It is honesty that allows me to simply be when all I want is to prove myself with what I do. There is no earning. Grace is a gift you’re receiving. God’s mercy is new, plainly in view— not hidden from sight.

Today is a new day, no matter where you’re coming from or where you are going. What might God be stirring in your heart to keep your faith growing?

Herset serves as the co-pastor of Faith Free Lutheran, Kalispell, Mont.