Vitriolic Grace

Being derailed by life’s happenings is an actuality we all face sooner or later, and the effects are probably very similar to experiencing the shock, trauma of an earthquake or other natural disastrous occurrences.
I am beginning to see that perhaps something far more caustic and penetrating is this whole business of grace. Amazing, yes, but?

The grace of God the Father is breath-taking from and angle or perspective, but its ongoing applications especially perceived coming from a loving Father would not produce anything disagreeable (antagonistic) to the senses, to the mind, or feelings, that have already been assaulted, now would it? Let’s face it, being disillusioned by those unexpected life derailments were already too much.

I remember only too well how I had to use some heavy duty furniture strippers (very caustic) in order to liberate different pieces of furniture I worked on.
One of those being an actual old ‘ice box’, aka a fridge, the kind used at the turn of the century, it is all made out of wood, lined with metal and insulated in-between with cork, at least mine was.
I remember the day I stumbled across this treasure, although not distinguishable at the time, I asked my friend I was helping in clearing the junk out of a house he recently acquired, what is that thing over there, he said, it’s an old ice box I think, and sure enough it was.
I ended up taking it home not really seeing anything of value in its mostly ugly exterior, but was soon to discover a hidden beauty. That’s where the copious amounts of caustic love and my faithful paint strippers brought forth its deliverance!
What was discovered under several layers of dirty paint and lacquers was the most beautiful red oak imaginable, who would have ever thought?

This transformation was done from the outside in, but in the case of us humans, it’s being accomplished from the inside out.
The external circumstances and situations of our lives are being used of the Father to facilitate the necessary on going application of His grace, to those areas in our lives were we are as it were covered in gunk, usually deep seated fears that we are totally unaware of.
Oh we may be cognizant of the symptoms, but the root itself remains hidden to us.

It is in my opinion because of these entrenched bastions of fear, that when our Father begins the work of restoration within us there is only one view and it is through the filter of fear.
I wonder if it is a lot like a blood sucker (leach) that has attached itself to some warm blooded creature sucking the life out of it?
His grace has a bite to it, it is very caustic, it has to be that way in order to free us from the power of that which is sucking the life out of us.

Rich