Kim Perry's Blog, page 2

Lessons in Truth Telling

I’ve been a Jesus follower for a long time. There are many lessons that I have learned and relearned, forgotten and then discovered anew. Sometimes in the middle of an “aha” moment I think, “But I already knew this! How did I get tripped up again?” Each time, there is a new bit of wisdom – something revealed at a deeper level. It’s like one of those circular ramps in the corner of a parking deck that go around and around, climbing a bit higher each time.

So, you could say I’m am “old enough to know better.” Add to that being first born and a Type 1 on the Enneagram; let me tell you, my inner critic game is FIERCE. I am able to extend much more Grace to others than to myself, as a rule. (Because, as a good rule follower, I know it is the right thing to do.)

Recently I took a class to discover my specific identity in Christ – the roles are that uniquely mine. It was incredible. One of the first assignments was to build a timeline of our lives on poster board, using sticky notes in two colors. I chose turquoise for pleasant/happy events and pink for pain points.

In the course of the exercise, I realized I had several turquoise moments from various points in my life when God gave me a dream or idea about writing a book. In each instance, there was a “painful pink” sticky note closeby because I hadn’t made it happen.

The class culminated with a personal retreat, so I set off for a local hotel with all my notes, my course book and my poster board. I was nervous that I might not get this part right, so I was praying the whole way there. On the way in from the car, a gust of wind sprang up and off flew a single sticky note – a pink one. I didn’t want to miss out on that “data point,” so I chased after it, slapping my foot against the sidewalk every few yards. I eventually caught it, and peeled it off the bottom of my shoe. “Failure” was being swept away on the breeze.

I took that as God speaking kindly in response to my prayer. He does not look at me and see a failure. Because of Jesus, God looks at me and sees His beloved daughter. He knows right where I am. He assured me that everything needed for any assignment from Him will be found by seeking Him. So, while I may be taking a long, winding path, I haven’t missed the deadline yet.

I flicked “Failure” into the nearest trash can. It was a whole moment.

I learned “forever ago” that Jesus set me free and that my standing in the Kingdom of God is secure because of Christ. But the new realization this time around is that even though I know in my head that I’m free, I have been imprisoned by a “lesser type of condemnation.” I’ve allowed the whispers of my enemy to hold me back. I have let Satan talk me out of things, much like he talked Eve into them. Maybe you can relate to this?

“Did God really say ‘write a book?’ Surely not you. Who would want to read anything you have to say?” “This work you’re doing for your family and your church is more important and you should finish every bit of it before you spend your free time on a dream that you think maybe God gave you.” “Even if you write a book, you won’t follow through on publishing it.” “If you were really supposed to do it, you would have already done it.”

Listen. Jesus is the TRUTH, the way and the life. And he said the TRUTH sets us free. The apostle Paul tells us there is NO condemnation for Christ followers.

When we acknowledge our need for forgiveness, believe in Christ as our savior and commit ourselves to following him, we are new creations. We have a new identity. The enemy whispers lies because he knows we’d be unstoppable if we believed the truth of this new identity – who God says we are based on what Jesus did for us:

Forgiven. Accepted. Vessel of the Holy Spirit. Free. We have freedom from the yoke of sin AND from the condemnation that would hold us back. We need no longer feel weighed down by our humanness, our mistakes, our imperfection, (or even our slowness in learning the lesson and following through).

So, what happened as a result of not being weighed down by “failure?” I’m so glad you asked. God’s kindness continued on my retreat, and I was able to discern 6 specific identity statements. I want to share one of them with you:

I am a BOLD TRUTH TELLER, who intentionally and courageously shares wisdom through written and spoken words in a humble voice that hearts can hear.

When God first gave me these words, I was intimidated. Because, let’s be honest, we all know people who use truth like a weapon while exhibiting little evidence of the fruit of the spirit in their lives. “Speaking truth in love” to one another usually involves pointing out what is wrong. (yes, sometimes, that is exactly what we need!) Lately, though, I have been finding a “next level of the parking deck” aspect of truth telling.

God has brought specific opportunities to use the voice He’s given me to speak the other side of truth. I’ve been able to remind other believers of the truth of their new identity in Christ. I’ve been helping to dispel lies. And the best part? He’s using lessons from the painful seasons in my life to encourage my sisters and brothers. What a sweet blessing to know that pain has a purpose. God is so good!

How much time have I wasted waiting for someone to give me permission to act on the things that Jesus assigned me to do? How long have I waited to feel “ready” to do the things he already told me to do?

Truth is, too much time. But it’s a new day. It can be a new day for you, too. Who’s with me?

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Romans 3:22-24

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8: 31-32 

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 8:1-2

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pandemic Lessons

Now that my vaccination card has both doses recorded, and guidelines suggest it is safer to resume more and more “normal” living, I am enjoying getting re-acquainted with the feelings of freedom once (unknowingly) taken for granted. I believe I’ll be mindful of and treasuring these freedoms for the rest of my days.

Things like:

Visiting and hugging our kids and parents with no hesitation.

Welcoming people into our home.

Dining inside a restaurant without wonderings of “Should we really be doing this?”

Traveling and exploring new places.

Carpooling. (Who’d have thought?)

Even as I am grateful for this now-treasured awareness of freedom, I am thankful for lessons learned:

God is AMAZING. (This is something I already knew, but it bears repeating and warrants the top spot on the list.) Only God could keep us going by being the one constant, and the One, Constant, when everything about everything changed. While I do not believe God caused the pandemic, I do believe He worked through it for our good (Romans 8:28), even as there have been devastating effects and so much grief. God’s sovereignty and power are way outside of my understanding, so while on one hand these statements make sense to me, they mystify on the other hand. I can’t explain it. All I can do is give glory to God.

Humans are RESILIENT. We can do really hard things. We are powerful and persistent, like a river – when there is something huge in our way, we make new paths and keep going. We find and innovate new ways of getting things accomplished.

Love holds us TOGETHER even when we’re apart. Love wasn’t threatened, thwarted or diminished during the pandemic. Let’s not stop reaching out and checking on one another.

We are made for “In-Person” COMMUNITY. We don’t put our hope in the celebrations, gatherings, shared meals, parties, coffee shop hangs and we got by without them for a season to protect one another, but they are some of the best BLESSINGS and we don’t need to be ashamed of how much JOY they bring us.

GRACE is like water – we all need it to survive. We need to receive it for our own missteps, and we need to offer it in abundance. Let’s be about making accommodations for other’s feelings and anxieties. If you’re wired like me, maybe you also wondered all year “What is the ‘right’ way to do things – when there is no ‘right’ way to do things?” Often, the right thing is simply to lavish grace.

Something I’m wondering about…which is more honoring of the huge losses and the scientists, front line workers, teachers, pastors and other leaders who helped us get through and get back: to “feel normal” or to feel “strange about feeling normal?” Hmmmm. I don’t know about that.

But here’s my prayer: May we be new and improved versions of ourselves. May we take these lessons and new sensibilities into the rest of our days. One day in the future, when we are laughing out loud and momentarily forget the tragedies we’ve faced this year, I believe we’ll reflect later that evening, or maybe the next day, about why it felt so amazing. We’ll be reminded of our gratitude for all that remains, even as we miss and yearn for and will never forget what and whom we’ve lost.

I won’t even try not to be a broken record. I fully intend to tell my future grandchildren as often as they will listen, “Before you were born, there was a time when we stayed at home for months and months. It was very difficult, but we made it and here is what I learned…”

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off
and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Colossians 3:15

Jesus and the Mess in My Kitchen

I love baking.

There is deep satisfaction to be found in turning measures of simple ingredients into something delicious for my family and friends. Having my hands busy in my familiar kitchen frees my mind to process the things that I’ve been learning and talk to God about them.

One of my go-to recipes is a chocolate marbled banana bread. It starts like any banana bread recipe, but one cup of the batter gets mixed with melted chocolate and the swirled together with the plain batter before baking. It is a big hit around our house.

Recently, I was already doing too many things at once under a tight deadline when I noticed 3 tired-looking bananas with great potential on the counter. I decided to “go for it,” but knew I would have to work quickly to get the bread baked and out of the oven before I needed to leave the house.

In my haste, while mixing the melted chocolate into the batter, I lost my grip on the small glass bowl that I was using. It skittered across the counter, ricocheted off the wall and finally landed on the kitchen floor, flinging sticky chocolate batter all over the place on its way. The bowl shattered into “millions” of tiny squares. Even though I didn’t have time for this extra chore, I got a broom, lots of wet paper towels, and went to work. And since I was still somewhat in my “talk-to-God-while-baking” mindset, He helped me see something powerful.

The condition of my heart determines how easy (or how difficult) it is for God to work in my life.

Had I dropped the same bowl when it was empty, it still would have broken into many tiny pieces, but it would have been a very quick cleanup job; Sweep. Vacuum. Done!

Full of sticky chocolate batter, however, it took many steps to get the mess off the floor (and the walls and the cabinets…) and return things back to normal. I had to wipe, sweep, douse, and repeat – I even ended up having to wash the broom and dustpan! It was definitely a case of “this is going to get worse before it gets better.”

When my heart is attached to the “mess” when I ask God for help with my brokenness, it can be the same way. It isn’t that God’s power is limited by my mess, but more that it is harder for me to accept His forgiveness and his help in moving forward.  On my kitchen floor that day, there were broken parts of the bowl that, though the glass had shattered, were held “somewhat-in-place” by the batter. In order to get to the point where God can really work in my life, I must be willing to let go of my mess, even when – no, especially when it feels like that mess is the only thing holding me together.

Jesus’ shed blood has paved the way for me and you and people everywhere to be washed clean. He patiently rinses, wipes, and sweeps away that which stands in the way of our being vessels He can use. And when we’re broken into bits, he gently and lovingly puts us back together. We only need to be ready to receive his help.

My little bowl is long-gone, and I’ll have to wait for the next perfectly overripe bananas, but my grateful heart better understands the power of redemption and resurrection – and of surrendering completely so God can do His best work.

I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven.
Ephesians 1: 19-20

Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person.
All that is related to the old order has vanished.
Behold, everything is fresh and new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Aversion.

(A possible exception to my “no rant” policy.)

I have an aversion to bad apples. Life is too short to waste time on a mealy, pithy apple. And even though I hate wasting food, I will not hesitate to chuck a bad apple into the trashcan or out the car window after enough bites to ensure I have given it a fair shake. (The answer to the question you might be asking is: “One bite. Maybe two.”) Consequently, Rob and I shop for apples with the care and attention to detail one might expect from a customs official under an elevated threat level.

I also have an aversion to conflict and highly prefer it when we “all just get along.” There are lovely people in my life who thoroughly enjoy a hearty debate, who thrive on discussing opposing views, even when it gets heated. I am not wired that way. I can “spin” this to mean that I’m just really good at living out Paul’s charge in Romans 12:18: “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” And I wouldn’t be wrong – that is something that is true about me. But, for most of my adult life, it has also been true that I have wished that the prospect of conflict didn’t result in a particularly frustrating form of paralysis. Even the thought of a conflict makes it difficult to speak the helpful, well-thought-out words that would be so easy for me to type. Any words that I do manage to squeak out have a pinched tone that miscommunicates a stronger-than-intended emotion. It’s not great. It’s often embarrassing. Consequently, I sometimes choose to stay silent, even when I have something to contribute to the conversation.

There is value in being mindful of the feelings of others; of choosing words wisely to avoid saying things I would regret. Gentleness and kindness are important. But I am also aware that sometimes, “not speaking” can result in regretting the things that went unsaid.

In spite of my aversion to (and ability to proactively minimize) conflict, I want to find a version of myself who will not shy away from necessary difficult conversations solely for the sake of avoiding being uncomfortable – a version of myself who pushes through the resistance and uses her voice, even when it’s shaky, squeaky and emotional.

As I read the Bible and spend time with God in prayer, I am seeing that the peace Jesus brings is not foremost peace with other people. The peace that passes understanding is attainable, even when circumstances and people around me are not peaceful… even when important debates are in order.

Operating from a place of peace frees me up to trust God to provide the path I should take, the words I should speak (or not), even while fighting for what is right. I trust God for comfort rather than a circumstance or outcome as my source of “being okay.” It is a healthy place to be – not so I can ignore the awfulness around me, but because I will never be able to control my circumstances – or other people. This inner peace is possible because of my relationship with Jesus. Having this peace doesn’t mean that I don’t care about all that is wrong in the world. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There are people who will disagree with me on this, and that’s okay. Because I am convinced that this peace can help me enter the conversation and work toward real progress.

Let’s be honest – pointing fingers and passing judgment on one another is not getting us anywhere.

It’s been impossible not to notice that many people are posting and reposting things that seem to be working against the peace process, and claiming/prescribing the meaning or motive behind a person’s choice to speak or to process carefully before speaking – “you don’t have the right to…” “what you said means you…” “not saying something means you are…”

As a noticer and observer of people, I am fairly adept at “getting” where someone is coming from. I used to believe that I truly knew exactly why people were behaving the way they were. Then I met an actual expert in “all things people” who said something that has impacted me greatly: “When you have decided you know what a person’s motives are, you have overstepped a human boundary.” Wow. It stung a bit at the time, but I have come to understand it is true.

Since the pandemic hit a year ago, we humans have had even more opportunities than usual to extend grace and understanding to one another. But we are not making the most of these opportunities. Even those of us who follow Jesus. I have witnessed harsh judgments against all sorts of people with all sorts of opinions. I have even seen people gloating and celebrating as people with whom they disagree suffered illness and tragedy. While I understand and experience righteous anger, I know that Jesus tells me to pray for my enemies. All people are Image bearers, not just the ones who are easy to like. So, if I am really living like Jesus, I’m going to have to trust his grace to be sufficient to help me navigate these difficult times and difficult people.

I recently recalled a “mantra” of sorts that was the theme at a student council convention I went to in high school. (Yes, student council – also marching band. These factoids won’t surprise anyone who knows me.) It was so many years ago, but the wisdom is timeless and hopeful, and I’d love to bring it back and have buttons made to hand out to friends and strangers alike, as I did in 1984. (Told you it was a long time ago.)

Are you ready? I hope you’re ready, because this is really good. Here it is:

I believe in you. I want you to believe in me. I love you.

It resonated with me then, but I appreciate it even more now. Believing the best about one another, even when our behavior is not the best has been essential to our healthy marriage and in our family life. Adopting and practicing this will improve any relationship. It’s just a good way to live. (Go ahead. I dare you.)

When working with couples preparing for (or wanting to improve) their marriage, Rob and I make certain to encourage them to think of themselves as being on ‘the same team.” Even during conflict, it’s important to find ways to work together to solve problems. Seeing my husband as my teammate with the same overall goal (protecting our marriage, raising our children, handling the financial crisis of the day, even deciding what to do on a weekend) has been key. The tricky spot is that our differing perspectives, attitudes, and desires can sometimes cause us to feel like we are adversaries – that someone needs to be “right” that someone needs to “win.”

Certainly, this has been “a thing” since the beginning of people and relationships, but it sure seems to have gotten worse lately. One could argue that the love we have for sports reinforces the idea that there must always be a winner and, therefore, a loser. I’m sure that the algorithms of social media and internet searches that constantly feed us more and more of what we “like” also bear a good amount of the blame.

Whew, for someone with an aversion to conflict, I seem to be fired up.

What if we set our minds to being on the same team – the team of people who want for all people to live in the best possible way. The team who works together to find solutions so that everyone gets to play and everyone feels valued and welcome. Sure, there will be always be outliers, but the rest of us are pretty great.

Let’s stop pointing fingers and instead put our energies into seeking answers together. I believe in us – surely we can do it. Somehow, we’ve survived this long. Yes, we have a long way to go. All of us. We’ll have to start believing the best about each other – and we will have plenty of opportunities to offer grace, mercy, forgiveness, love – all of these – over and over.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Colossians 3:13

Life is too short to waste time being divided when we could work on solutions together. Let’s chuck divisiveness out the car window like a pithy apple.

I believe in you. I want you to believe in me. I love you.

Swimming (and Life) Lessons

Swimming lessons were a “given” for me as a girl.

We spent summers within walking distance of the ocean on Cape Cod, and my parents made sure that my brother and I were strong enough swimmers to handle the waves and strong currents of the Atlantic. Most off-season Saturday mornings during my growing up years involved traveling to indoor pools for swimming lessons.

Side stroke was (and still is!) my favorite. I think mostly because it feels smooth and effortless. It isn’t noisy and doesn’t call a lot of attention to itself, (also, you don’t have to ever hold your breath, really.) “Pick an apple, put it in the basket. Pick an apple, put it in the basket.”

There’s a life lesson in there for sure – the smooth and automatic rhythm of immediately handing off the blessing received from above. What a lovely picture of generosity. I want that to be part of the fabric of my life – to receive and give away, in one fluid motion. Not to hold anything in my fist for too long – whether it be financial blessing, encouragement, wisdom, forgiveness. I want to share freely, to hold everything with an open palm – to let God’s goodness spill out of my life to those around me.

Generosity offers protection against the tide of greed and selfishness. A generous lifestyle exercises trust in God and brings a blessed freedom from materialism and a peaceful calm…just like the side stroke.

Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down
from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens
with no hidden shadow or darkness
and is never subject to change.
James 1:17

Let giving flow from your heart, not from a sense of religious duty.
Let it spring up freely from the joy of giving—
all because God loves hilarious generosity!
2 Corinthians 9:7

Serenity Now! Making Peace with My Sentimentality

Something that brings me great satisfaction as an adult is not wasting food. My soul feels happy when we use up every bit of something before it goes bad or stale. Produce is the trickiest food item for us and I know we aren’t alone in this struggle. You know how it goes: run out of salad greens one week, buy more the next, throw them all away. Ugh!

But it’s not just groceries. I have a hard time throwing other things away, too.

My walk-in closet is a disaster. I’ve got things stashed on the floor against the walls, and day by day, they are migrating toward the center, making it tricky to find a safe place to “walk-in.” Some of the clutter in there is because of delayed decisions. Some is not having a proper place for important papers. (When we moved to this house (ahem, 6 years ago, but whatever), I lost my built-in desk area.) But most of it is there because there’s a sentimental attachment.

I find it incredibly comforting to have evidence nearby of things worth remembering. Photos, notes, greeting cards and the like prove that we were here, that we loved, that we enjoyed life, that we valued our time together. My stashes (yes, plural. Surprise! it’s not just my closet.) help me hold on to gratitude for the people, experiences and learning that brought me to “here.”

I’ve tried to clean up the beautiful mess. Sorting through a pile for the umpteenth time, trying to make it smaller is honestly painful for me. At the same time, there is Joy as I revisit the notes I took at a retreat or conference, see the photo of my grandfathers shaking hands on my parents’ wedding day, and read the handmade cards from our kids’ elementary days. More than a few times, I’ve cried in the closet – tears of joy, remembrance, sorrow, laughter. In a way, revisiting these mementos helps me embrace the season we’re in since I have a tangible way of remembering days gone by.

I come by it honestly. I heard Gramma say proudly (more than once), “I have every card you kids ever gave me.” And then there’s Dad’s desk. He may be the King of Piles. But he can lay his hand on the file, note or article he needs at any moment. It’s amazing. (He’s organized in a “lots of piles” way.)

Recently, I’ve been working through a book called, Love the House You’re In, by Paige Rein. (Find it here.) One of the exercises is to recall the home you grew up in – how it felt, what made it “home.” My Mom is a great decorator, and she is skilled at creating a serene environment. So, “no piles.” (She is organized in a “clutter-free” way.) I’m sure my room must have driven her bonkers when I was growing up. She tried so hard to teach me her ways; I remember many Saturday mornings when she declared, “the word for the day is “Throwaway!”

So I find myself on a quest to make our home a bit more serene – to have more clutter-free spaces. Or at least to be able to see the floor of my closet. And yet, I have these stacks of memories to sort through. Will I part with all the things? I cannot. I will not. But I can find a better spot to store the treasures I can’t say goodbye to, I can capture many of the memories by writing about them in lieu of keeping artifacts and I will pray that when my own memory no longer holds up, my kids (and theirs) will fill in the gaps for me.

A verse that speaks to me: “Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.” (Luke 2:19 – The Message)

(It doesn’t say, “Mary treasured all this in her heart, and in her closet,
and under her bed. NOTED!)

Impact: On Being True

Every day, I’m getting older.

I am not so bothered by it as I am amused and entertained. I’d like to think this is because I’m also getting wiser.

I don’t want to go back in time and I am not afraid of what’s ahead (though certainly some of it will be unpleasant, painful, and even totally “sucky.”) But in recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that I have a finite amount of time to make an impact. There’s a sense of urgency – of “not throwing away my shot.” I want to make the most of the lessons I’ve learned and not waste any time or squander opportunities. I desire to help others leap-frog over my mistakes and missteps. And don’t we all want to leave a legacy?

While my motives were pure, doubt and negativity crept in and nearly took over. I worried that I was missing some important opportunity. You could say I developed a severe case of “Impact Envy.” Nothing good came from that. It was defeating and exhausting. I found myself falling for the lie that “maximizing my impact” must be hard work and involve lots of striving. Seeking, reaching, stretching, stepping into the unfamiliar, doing super hard things? Isn’t that what it must be about? Maybe I didn’t have it in me?

When I chose to stay home when our children were born, it was an easy and natural decision. It was a high honor to be with them in those formative years. Yes, it was also tiring, challenging, and sometimes lonely, but even on the hardest days, I had the sweet assurance that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to do. How wonderful that felt! I am so grateful for that experience, and all the time with them that, looking back now, went by in the blink of an eye.

Now in this present season of life, I am seeing that these years have the potential to be formative, too. There is always the potential to be developing something, or helping someone develop. For God to be developing something new in me! It’s just that the role I should play is not clearly laid out for me now as it was then. I have been missing and lacking that clarity.

I have been on a healthy journey of learning and self examination. I have prayed and yielded and surrendered. One day, while running in our neighborhood, God gave me exactly what I needed. Check out this photo I snapped. It’s not a great picture, but I think it gets the point across.

The leaf. It was just being a leaf, and yet it left its mark as fully as it could, just by simply being what it was. It didn’t have to strive or struggle. It was
being a leaf while the asphalt sprayer was being an asphalt sprayer.

Simply resting there, being a leaf.

Just as I felt completely natural and normal in my skin when my days were devoted to guiding and nurturing our children – like I was born for it. My biggest impact is possible when I am simply who God made me to be, when I am fully myself (with the gifts He’s given and the learning and growth He’s brought). Then, and only then, God can use me for his purposes.

From here on out, I’m choosing that.

The best way to leave a “me-shaped” mark on the world is to lean in to (and rest in and trust in) God as my source of identity, and to enjoy the freedom in being the “me” God created and is growing me to be. Then my purpose can be truly accomplished. There is no expiration on this for any of us. It’s not over until it’s over. And even when our time here is done, if we’ve done this one thing well, the generations that follow will be better for it.

It seems like I should have this 100% down by now, because this is not the first time I’ve encountered these issues, or received this assurance from God. Perhaps this will be the final time I’ll wrestle with this one? Perhaps not. We humans tend to forget.

So thanks, God! For the leaf print and the reminder. And everything else.

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Ephesians 2:7-10 (The Message)