Tired of Choking

Written by cycleguy on May 11th, 2010

Have you ever choked on something?  Man, is it scary or what?  Following my neck surgery, I was having trouble swallowing when leaning over.  If I ate anything that had substance, i.e. didn’t just slip slide right down, I had to be sitting straight up for it to go down. Several times I forgot and found myself unable to get the food down easily.  Swallow….Swallow…. SwallowSwallow… Swallow…Aaaahhhhh finally down.  It got a little hairy at times.  But if I had only remembered to sit straight up it wouldn’t have happened.  But when you are talking and laughing and having fun or in deep conversation, it is easy to forget. At least until your eyes bug out and panic sets in and you begin to wonder if anyone knows the Heimlich maneuver.  🙂

‘Course that is nothing to spiritual choking.  People choke on rules and regulations all the time.  They choke on law.  What made me think of this right now is the following quote I read:

Grace is not to free us from obeying the heart of God. Grace is the nutrient-rich soil that seeds of truth drop into so they’re not choked by the self-condemnation of failure. Instead, no longer afraid of God’s disgust, we can obey God from the heart rather than from compliance. And we grow into a beautiful, healthy tree-giving shade to others.  John Lynch

That is one powerful and picturesque statement!  What are your thoughts?  I know we talk about grace a lot but I would like to hear any thoughts you may have at this point in time in your life.

 

13 Comments so far ↓

  1. Jan Frame says:

    Most excellent post Bill.

  2. MB says:

    that’s a really great quote!

  3. Michael says:

    And we grow into a beautiful, healthy tree-giving shade to others.

    I love the above sentence: As we grow we are not only receiving His grace, but we are able to provide grace to others.

    Grace is something that up until about 5 years ago, I had not experienced nor was willing to give out. It is amazing how radically different one can become when they finally get “it.”
    Sorry to babble.

  4. cycleguy says:

    Thanks Ted…I mean Jan. 😀

  5. cycleguy says:

    MB: I certainly agree.

  6. cycleguy says:

    Babbling allowed Michael although I don’t see you as having done that. I welcome further comments. And you are right…it is freeing.

  7. Jim F. says:

    Man – that is one of those quotes you have to wrestle around with. Wrestling with the idea of we can obey God from the heart rather than from compliance. That is a good thought – thanks for the post.

  8. Linda M says:

    Hi Cycleguy,
    The way that I look at grace is how I perceive it in the Bible. God says ‘whosoever will, may come’. Whoever wants it. Whoever will ask. Whoever will seek. Whoever will knock. He gives this grace without prejudice and without partiality.

    A provision is made available by God for all. It is not based on merit or worthiness.

    Grace is God initiated, sustained, and finished because of his inherent goodness and mercy. We gain something we could never obtain by ourselves or through our own efforts and work.
    He gives it freely, we get to take it freely.
    Anything else that I should have mentioned in this comment about Grace?

  9. cycleguy says:

    Jim: you are right. It is one to wrestle with. Your thought is so true.

  10. cycleguy says:

    Hi Linda! Good to see you back. I will simply have to say: nope you haven’t forgotten to mention a thing. 🙂 Thanks for the comment.

  11. Jaycee (E.A) says:

    Lynch’s quote is very powerful indeed. I’m still wondering why Christians choke on “Religion” when God has clearly given us “Freedom.”

    I like this post.

  12. cycleguy says:

    Jaycee: so true. It is hard to figure that one out. thanks for coming by.

  13. Tom Raines says:

    Awesome quote! Self condemnation is soo prevalent and obviously a great tool of the ruler of this world. He hopes to isolate us and keep us from the rich soil. May we grow and provide shade where we are. Thanks Bill!