Stumble and Arise

READING 2 Corinthians 6:1-4a

We beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you.” Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! We avoid giving anyone offense, so that our ministry may not be blamed. On the contrary, in all that we do we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God.

In all that we do we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God. Now there is a scary thought. In all I do, I can only hope that I present myself as a minister of God because there are times, as I look back on my day, that I am ashamed that others my know I am a Christian. Case in point, the day I made sure someone could not get in front of my car as I was headed home from work. I made sure to squeeze home out since I needed to get over. It was then I realized that I still had my clergy plaque on my dashboard from the previous night's wake. Great way for a minister of God to act, and I had a billboard on my dashboard advertising who I was. 

  These are the failings we suffer as human beings. This is the result of the weakness of our own frailty. That as much as we try, we continue to fall short time and time again. And it becomes easy to get discouraged. But we must allow ourselves to be picked up. To be resurrected again and again by the risen Christ in an attempt to get it right. And we all carry that placard of our baptism, as the sign of who we are. It is not on our dashboard of our car, but it is emblazoned on our souls. It is the sign we should be proud to wear and proud to share.

As this Lenten journey continues, we experience our own stumblings under the weight of the crosses of life that we carry. And just as Jesus arose on the Via Dolorosa, so we to must rise up and continue the journey because glory awaits. Glory is at the end of the road. Glory is at the end of the journey. Glory is after that lowest point when we too shall rise as the risen Lord and shine in all our glory. Grow from your stumblings. Walk  a little further before the next stumble and glory shall be yours. Jesus has placed it within our reach. The true follower of His way will never give up until their own day of glory.