Great-Grace

In Pilgrim's Progress, one of the characters that Christian encounters in his pilgrimage is Little-Faith, who is robbed of his money by Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt. The commentary on Little-Faith in this curriculum reads, in part:

Christians frequently talk of the woundings and beatings they receive from their lot in life. It's the bad things that seem to make for lengthy conversations around the dinner table. Yet frequently these gloomy discussions are simply the symptoms of losing spiritual comfort, peace, and assurance because of little faith. The three brothers [Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt] are constantly at our shoulder, whispering in our ear. Faint-Heartedness usually comes by either sinful conduct or negligence of the promises of God. Mistrust is sure to follow and ultimately Guilt beats us down.

In the book, Little-Faith is saved from the robbers by the appearance of Great-Grace, the King's Champion. I was reminded of Great-Grace the other day after I watched this video of Jacob, a teen with Williams syndrome, who was featured as the "outstanding male student athlete" at his high school.

I found the video inspiring and encouraging that children with disabilities can enjoy and thrive in sports (and was actually very impressed that Jacob seemed to be bowling strikes and spares -- I'm not sure I can even hit the pins). However, the encouragement was tempered by the fact that Jacob (from what I gather) attends a school for those with disabilities. A quick reminder that we're not on the path of typically-developing children. And I found myself headed down the road behind Little-Faith. This isn't where I want to be. This isn't the future I want for Buddy. This isn't the path I want to be on. This isn't what I want to deal with. This isn't what I . . . .

Thankfully, before I could continue too far down the path and get pummeled too much more by Faint-Heart, Great-Grace stepped in and gently prodded my eyes upward, reminding me that God's grace is truly sufficient -- for the moment, for the day, for the future. And His peace passes understanding.

We may not be on the path that I want us to be on, but we're on the path that God, in His sovereignty, has placed us on. And because He's led us here, He'll give us the grace and mercy we need for every step of the way. Truly, great is the grace of our Lord.