Sinner, Set Free

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:32

from In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado

Think of it this way. Sin put you in prison. Sin locked you behind the bars of guilt and shame and deception and fear. Sin did nothing but shackle you to the wall of misery. Then Jesus came and paid your bail. He served your time; he satisfied the penalty and set you free. Christ died, and when you cast your lot with him, your old self died too. The only way to be set free from the prison of sin is to serve its penalty. In this case the penalty is death. Someone has to die, either you or a heaven-sent substitute. You cannot leave prison unless there is a death. But that death occurred on Calvary. And when Jesus died, you died to sin's claim on your life. You are free.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

At some point in our lives it is inevitable that we will have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It is a long journey through a valley that can overwhelm anyone with various emotions. What is important and what I have learned on my journey is that you have to walk. Although you have an extreme urge to run through it as fast as you can, you have to walk. If you run through it you will find that you have to start from the beginning over and over again. Sort of like a hamster wheel. If you walk and allow the grief process to be slow and run its course you will hopefully make your peace with God and grief and come out of the valley a new person who has learned to live life again. It won't be the same life ever again as before the journey, but it will be one that can be good again.

There is one thing I tell myself everyday about my walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It is just a shadow, a partial and temporary darkness. And the best thing about shadows - they move.