Die woord genade is van kleintyd al deel van ‘n Christen se woordeskat. Dit word in die algemeen verstaan as ‘n onverdiende guns wat iemand wat in ‘n beter posisie as jy is, aan jou bewys. Die genade wat deur die Seun van God aan die mens bewys is, is die hoogste vorm daarvan. Dit is iets wat die totale omvang van my menswees en lewe vul.
As ons as gelowiges oor die genade van God uitgevra word, is ons geneig om te fokus op die verlossing van die ewige verdoemenis. En dit is inderdaad die kern van die genade wat ons ontvang het.
Ons moet egter ook bewus wees van die genade wat ons elke dag ontvang. Dit het weer tevoorskyn gekom tydens ‘n onlangse besoek en godsdiensbediening by twee van die tehuise by die Stikland psigiatriese inrigting.
Die meeste permanente inwoners by Stikland is duidelik psigies en dikwels ook intellektueel, gestrem – op verskillende wyses. Daar is ook persone wat heeltemal normal voorkom en goeie intelligensie vertoon, maar dit is die minderheid.
Die tema tydens hierdie godsdiensbediening was die liefdesgebod en gebed as kernaspekte van ons lewe. Dit klink dalk bietjie kompleks vir so ‘n groep mense, maar dit was duidelik nie die geval nie.
Die gesprek is afgeskop met die vraag, hoe ‘n gelowige se dag moet verloop, hoe begin en eindig dit, wat moet voorop in sy gedagtes en gedrag staan? Die spontane antwoord uit meer as een hoek was dat ‘n mens jou dag met gebed moet begin en eindig, en dat mens altyd die Here bo alles moet liefhê en jou naaste soos jouself. Almal was dit daarmee eens.
In die verdere gesprek het ‘n hele aantal van die inwoners ook hulle dank betuig dat hulle “gesond” is, dat hulle kan rondloop en met mekaar kan gesels, dat hulle nie honger het, nie natreën of koud kry nie. Dat dit deur die genade van God is en dat hulle daaroor bid.
Die gedagte wat mens diep tref as jy met mense omgaan wat lewenslank so beproef word, is hulle eie genadebesef. En jou eie insig dan dat dit waarlik egte genade is en nie bloot ‘n gewaande genadebesef nie.
In ‘n gesprek met die huismoeder net daarna, getuig sy toe ook van die lewenslesse wat sy soms by die inwoners kry.
Laat ons God elke dag dank vir sy genade, en die liefdesgebod uitleef soos Hy dit vereis.
The word grace has been part of a Christian’s vocabulary from childhood. It is generally understood as an undeserved favour shown to you by someone in a better position than yourself. The grace shown to humanity by the Son of God is its highest form. It is something that fills the total scope of my being and life.
When we as believers are asked about the grace of God, we tend to focus on salvation from eternal damnation. And that is indeed the core of the grace we have received.
However, we must also be aware of the grace we receive every day. This came to the fore again during a recent visit and ministry at two of the homes at the Stikland psychiatric facility.
Most permanent residents at Stikland are clearly psychologically and often also intellectually impaired — in various ways. There are also persons who appear entirely normal and display good intelligence, but they are the minority.
The theme during this ministry was the commandment of love and prayer as core aspects of our lives. It may sound somewhat complex for such a group of people, but that was clearly not the case.
The conversation was kicked off with the question of how a believer’s day should unfold, how does it begin and end, what should be foremost in his thoughts and conduct? The spontaneous answer from more than one quarter was that one should begin and end one’s day with prayer, and that one should always love the Lord above all else and one’s neighbour as oneself. Everyone agreed.
In the further conversation, a good number of the residents also expressed their gratitude that they are “healthy”, that they can walk around and talk to one another, that they are not hungry, do not get rained on or cold. That this is by the grace of God and that they pray about it.
The thought that strikes you deeply when you interact with people who are tested in this way for life, is their own awareness of grace. And your own insight then that this is truly genuine grace and not merely an imagined sense of grace.
In a conversation with the housemother right afterwards, she too testified to the life lessons she sometimes receives from the residents.
Let us thank God every day for his grace, and live out the commandment of love as He requires it.