remote control airplanes

Jeff and Colin and I went to the city park today where Jeff decided to try out the remote control airplane that he loves so much. It attracted 2 little preschool age boys who thought it was the coolest thing. It baffled me to see them trying to launch it. They would just throw it not realizing that Jeff had a controller that made it fly in the first place. Their faces looked confused when it would go crashing down. Jeff had to explain to them to hold it and not launch it until the controller made the propellers start.

It made me think about being alive with Christ. Growing up I've had a hard time realizing the truth that we are saved by grace...not saved by "following rules." In the back of my mind I always thought, "If I could just be a good girl...then God will love me and save me." It wasn't until later that I realized that he loves and wants to save me because I CAN'T be a "good enough girl" by my own strength.

Therefore, "he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is ONLY by God's grace that you have been saved. For he raised us from the dead together with Christ" -Ephesians 2:5

That airplane cannot function unless it is paired with that remote control. Without it, it cannot be free to gracefully soar through the sky...and if it does, its not long before its own strength has failed and it is crashing into the ground. Much like that airplane, we cannot be free to live an abundant life unless we are paired together with Christ. Our own strength will only get us so far. The union that we continue to keep with our father will fly us to places that we never knew we could go and cause us to function the way we were created to. Airplanes were created to fly...not to sit on the ground or to crash. We were created to live and to do that together with Christ...not to just try to follow rules all the time. I'm not saying "don't follow rules." But I've had it backwards my whole life. I thought, "If I follow the rules, God will save me." But now I know that "Since God has saved me, now I can and will (together with Christ) follow his law." I am thankful for a God that loves unconditionally and saves me by grace.