I have always been a lover of acrobatic acts such as Cirque du Soleil. I find myself fascinated with their flexibility, their well-controlled strength, their patience, and their sense of balance. I am one who has felt the sting of gravity on a plain, flat surface, so to see such incredible acrobatic feats highlights for me how far down the skill ladder I am from those trained performers.

The key there is trained… if I’d started doing acrobatics when I was a kid, and trained regularly and intentionally, I would be much closer to their level. But I didn’t do that, so I settle for sitting in the audience in my state of admiration. Lately I feel much the same way about my walk of faith. However, there is one critical difference: you’re never too old to start focusing on your spiritual training.

I found the words of our pastor very eye opening for me yesterday… he spoke of the need for balance in our Christian life, particularly in relation to truth and grace. He used the example of the adulteress the pharisees and scribes brought before Jesus as He was teaching in the temple. The truth was that, according to the law of Moses, the woman was completely guilty, and even caught in the act. Our pastor put us in the perspective of that woman, afraid, alone, likely not fully clothed, and facing the very real possibility of dying a horrible death because of her weakness and poor judgement. I’d imagine she’d have given anything to take it back.

So there she sat, waiting for judgement, and instead of excusing her from the law, He advised that any one of them who was completely without sin could cast the first stone. Nobody cold do it. When none of the accusers were left, Jesus pointed out (in His own words) to her that those men couldn’t condemn her, and then said He didn’t either, and then told her to go and sin no more. He gave her the grace with His lack of condemnation before reminding her of the law and instructing her to go and sin no more.

“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” ]” John‬ ‭8:1-11‬ ‭NASB‬‬

When we feel hurt, wronged, rejected, or what have you, we must give those we love grace. When we have feelings about anything beyond our control, we must worry more about God giving our hearts a needed transformation than in anything we believe He should do to change our circumstances or other people. We have to ask for the guidance and strength to love people as they are, not as we want them to be. We have to pray for the transformation to grow into and adapt to our circumstances in whatever way He needs, and not pray for our circumstances to be bent and changed so we feel better about them.

I am very acutely aware of how much work God has to do on my heart… I pray that He will transform me and help me grow and develop in all the places where there is lack. Just as the first peek of the sun on the horizon is as beautiful as a fully developed sunrise, so the sparks of light in the walk of faith are as beautiful as the bright light of a good spiritual shepherd. Sometimes, like fireworks in the night, those sparks can be even more beautiful, as they shine bright, even in the face of oppressive darkness.