He Gives More Grace

It’s been weeks since my daughter dropped a huge ceramic dish on her right foot, nearly severing the tendon of her big toe. The painful accident led to an emergency room visit with four-year-old Connor in tow, who was quite put out the entire time because she inadvertently left his afternoon popcorn in the microwave. For shame. The trip included multiple stiches and shots to guard against infection from the raw chicken the pot had been holding. Bless her.

Over the recent holiday, Jessica was updating us on the Big Toe BoBo– and clearly trying to put the best possible spin on it– when she reported that it was mostly fine, except she couldn’t bend it and she was NOT going back to the doctor. Scar tissue. We unanimously agreed that it was scar tissue and the doctor would break it if she did go. We had also begun to offer suggestions on how we could help her break the stubborn tissue when Carey came to sister-in-law’s defense.

“Please, no,” Carey said. “No DIY medical procedures this year, y’all.”

Jessica Ann voted yes on that idea faster than quick. Backstory? Over the years, this family has used everything from drills to duct tape to fix what ails us. I don’t recommend any of those methods. Just say no to Do It Yourself Medical Procedures.

And while we’re on the subject, say no to Do It Yourself Christianity, too. Satan is a sneaky proponent of this form of stinky self-help religion. He encourages us to try and “act straight, do good, or have the right attitude” all under our own steam. It’s a trap, y’all.

The truth is God gives empowering grace to the one who goes to Him for it and goes back to Him for it, over and over again. He gives grace to those who know how needy they are for Him and who draw on Jesus to live like Jesus. Bottom line, say no to Do It Yourself Medical Procedures, but by all means, say a bigger more emphatic no to Do It Yourself Religion! As James would say, He giveth more grace.