Grace Like Oxygen

About 20 years ago, Todd Agnew released a song called "Grace Like Rain." The chorus says, 

"And Hallelujah, grace like rain

Falls down on me

And Hallelujah and all my stains
Are washed away, they're washed away." 

It's a great song with a catchy tune and I found myself singing it in my head quite often. I really like it. It incorporates portions of the song "Amazing Grace" and explains that God's grace is what makes it possible for our sins to be washed away. But something about it just didn't sit right with me. Maybe it's the English teacher in me, but I analyzed the analogy of grace being rain and it just didn't seem to fit.

Rain is something that we need for sure. We can't live without it. The earth couldn't live without it. It's essential. It's life-giving. 

But it's not constant. It's not something that we need every second of every day. It comes and goes. We go through seasons of drought where we pray for the rains to come. And sometimes, for that reason, our lives suffer without it.

But grace? I can't live without grace. Not for one minute. Not for one second. I need God's grace every single, solitary moment of my life. It's that important. It's that vital. It's more like . . . oxygen.

Oxygen.  The Bible equates God's breath to life. God breathed life into Adam. He breathed life into the dry bones in Ezekiel and a mighty army rose to its feet. God breathed out Scripture. He spoke and His breath created galaxies. And He breathes life into me.

God's grace is my oxygen. 

If you attend our church, you've heard my husband Mike tell the story of how he ran from God for years. Not from salvation. From his calling to be a pastor. After living a life that wasn't pleasing to God, he couldn't understand why God would still call him to surrender to the ministry. How could God use him or even want to use him after all he'd done? We had a long conversation about grace and I helped him understand. We talked about King David, a murderer and adulterer, but a man God Himself called "a man after God's own heart." Mike grew up surrounded by a lot of legalism and was made to feel that church was all about performance. His parents were loving, grace-filled people, but he didn't see that modeled in many other Christians in his life.

We've been involved during our marriage in ministries that weren't very grace-filled, either. We've witnessed Christians who refused to forgive others and weren't loving toward their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We as Christians are awfully good at pointing fingers at each other. It seems that Christians readily accept the fact that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, but then turn around and act like we have to work like mad to keep it. Don't get me wrong. I believe that God calls us to live a life of holiness, but if I think for one minute that I can do that out of my own power, I'm going to get a rude awakening. The only way to live a successful Christian life is to stay so close to Jesus that He lives His life through me. I am nothing. I can do nothing. I can accomplish nothing. Not on my own.

That's why I need grace. Grace like oxygen. Every second of every minute of every day. I need the Holy Spirit to breathe life into me or there is no life in me at all. And so do you.

I love the word picture that is created when I think of "Grace Like Rain." The idea of grace flooding over me and washing away my sins is beautiful and comforting and humbling. But grace like oxygen? 

That's a picture I can't get out of my mind. I think about it often and it's a very humbling idea. But it couldn't be more true.

I need grace like oxygen.