The cross is at the center of every story - your life’s story, the story of the world. It’s how God won back our souls and reconciled the world to Himself. Without it, we would still be dead in sin.

All that’s left in the story is our response. What do we do with the incredible mercy that was shown to us? Sometimes Christ’s sacrifice makes us uncomfortable. We think, “I don’t like being in someone’s debt. Now I feel like I owe Him something.” The fact is, we do owe Him something. Our discomfort with Christ’s sacrifice stems from the fact that we don’t feel like we have control in the relationship because we owe Him so much.

We want our lives to be certain, but this control over our lives is an illusion. There’s no guarantee that we’ll get a job, get married, will be able to have children, or will be able to keep our jobs. The things we think we’re in control of actually control us. The people in the Gospel who have the most control (Pilate, Herod, Judas, etc.) are actually the most controlled. They’re controlled by the need for approval, the desire for entertainment, or their shame. The One who’s actually in control is the One who seems the most powerless. But He’s not controlled by anyone: He allows the cross. He submits to the Father’s will.

When we submit our control and admit we are powerless, God can reign in us. God gives us a mercy we didn’t earn or deserve. That mercy can either change our hearts or break them. It has the power to completely transform our lives, but only if we let it.

It is for us to show this same mercy to others. It is for us to place the cross at the center of our lives. Only in this surrender of control, in this admission of my weakness and dependence on God, am I truly free. Don’t let shame hold you back from confession, but let His love change your heart to reconciliation. Don’t be afraid to let God be in control.

A Mercy to Change or Break You