See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God… Hebrews 12:15
There are discoveries of God’s grace you can only make in painful situations. Here is a simple parable to make the point:
You are told that you will be in a pit for one week, that you will never have to go back there again, and that you are to use your time there to make a life and a future.
Then you are lowered down into the pit. It is dark, damp, and smelly. You feel around—the walls are like glass. You cut your finger and mutter to yourself, What can I do here to make a life and a future? Depression begins to set in. The one thing that sustains your hope is that you know you will only be in the pit for a week, and that you will never be there again.
You count hours and you count days. Finally, the day of relief comes and you are lifted out from the pit. Your ordeal is over. You will never go there again. There is a spring in your step as you run from the pit, but as you look back, you stop and stare at a sign. You can hardly believe what you are reading. You have just spent a whole week in a diamond mine!
There are some gems of God’s grace that can only be mined in the darkness. God has hidden them in the places we would rather not have been. When you are there, determine that you will not come out empty-handed.
Where do you need to begin mining some gems of God’s grace?
