Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer

I just finished this book late last night. It's one I highly recommend for anyone who feels their life has not gone as planned.

Here's my review, as posted on Goodreads. (Stay tuned for some more thoughts, unique to this website.)

“There’s grace in [God’s] eyes.”

If there’s one thing I hope people come away from this book with it’s that God wants to give us grace. He has such stores of compassion in His heart for us, if only we’d turn from our wicked ways and ask for His forgiveness. He loves us more than we may comprehend in this lifetime.

This book is all about second chances and following God and discovering yet again what His grace means for the people around us as well as ourselves. I’m happy to have read it, because it’s perspective-shifting. It’s eye-opening. It’s grace-giving.

This year, 2018, my One Word is grace. This book has been on my shelf for over a year, maybe even two or three years. Not exactly sure. It was definitely a divine intervention that I read this book this year, while I’m studying up on and learning to live out grace that better reflects God’s own grace-giving heart. I’m happy to be learning so much, and I’m sure I’ll read this book over and over again in the future, as it made a huge impact on me.

And my highlighter got a significant workout. That’s always a plus.

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Divine Opportunity + Grace in God's Eyes

“What if we entered into each moment of life knowing that everywhere we go and everything we do, our purpose is for people to see God in us, to sense His presence, to be drawn toward His Spirit at work in our smile and posture and handshake and greeting.” ~ Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer

What if we looked at every moment as a divine opportunity to mirror God’s character to the people around us? How would that alter the way we approach each second of every day?

I think a couple of the biggest takeaways from this book for me were that every moment matters and we have to make them count for the glory of God. Forget pointing that spotlight on ourselves. Let’s shine it toward the God we want the world to see they need. Let us stand with Him in faith that He will shine through us especially through our faults but also especially in our obedience to His callings on our lives.

“There’s grace in [God’s] eyes.” ~ Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer

This was another huge impact for me. As you might know from other articles this year (search for One Word on this blog), my One Word this year is grace. Yep, this book hit that word pretty hard. Second chances. Forgiveness. Watching an entire evil nation do a 180 and come to grips with their need for a mighty and gracious God. All of that reeks of grace, and I’m happy to have soaked some of it in while reading this book. (I plan on rereading it to gain even more knowledge down the road.)

This also got me thinking of the pandemic of sexual abuse going on in the United States (and the world). While I believe in justice for the assailants and closure and healing for the victims, I must wonder if God sees a different course of action here. If—and that two-letter word is quite huge here—if the perpetrators were to find genuine remorse and repentance in their hearts for the crimes they’ve committed, would God extend them the same grace and forgiveness He’s offered you and me?

I have to think the answer is yes.

We serve a mighty God, but our God is also extremely gracious. He yearns to forgive us and have us love and serve Him in true repentance and freedom that only His grace can provide.

By claiming this grace, I am not saying the crimes were less than horrible. I am not saying the victims were any less violated. What happened was atrocious, without a doubt. I'm not saying the punishment should be omitted.

When David sinned with Bathsheba, part of his punishment was that their son would die. The son did die, but David's sin was still forgiven since he was repentant and genuinely remorseful, and he was still considered the man after God's own heart. Likewise, I think consequences for our modern-day sins are sometimes still applicable after we receive forgiveness by God's grace, though God reserves the right to pardon those consequences as He sees fit.

Even our worst mistakes are forgivable by the compassionate God we serve if we find genuine remorse and repentance (turning away from the sin lifestyle).

Why?

Because there is grace in His eyes.

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How do you react to interruptions to your life?

What can you do to shift your perspective in those moments?

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October's reading challenge will Keep the Lights On.