Living in the Garden of Grace: What About the Lapses?
Reflecting on David Kuykendall's Living in the Garden of Grace
"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
— Romans 7:24-25a
Even the Apostle Paul, the very one God used to proclaim the message of grace, experienced moments of stumbling. Paul’s anguished cry in Romans 7—“O wretched man that I am!”—reveals his struggle with lapsing back into self-effort and flesh-driven living. Yet, Paul also knew the way back to life and freedom: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Paul’s example speaks directly to us. Living in the grace of God doesn’t mean we will never stumble. The reality is that we will have moments when we drift back into self-reliance, frustration, and sin. But just as Paul did, we can immediately turn back to Christ, trusting that His life in us is sufficient for every moment.
A Metaphor for Grace in Our Lapses
Imagine a river flowing freely toward the ocean. Smooth, strong, and steady. Yet, along its journey, it encounters rocks and debris. Occasionally, a branch or a fallen tree might block its path, slowing the flow. But the river doesn’t stop. It doesn’t question its direction. It simply moves around the obstacle, continuing toward its destination.
Our walk in grace is much like that river. Obstacles—lapses into the flesh—may disrupt our flow, but the life of Christ in us doesn’t stop. We are invited to simply return to the current of His grace, moving forward again without shame or defeat.
Start Again—Confidently
When we falter, the answer isn’t self-condemnation or self-repair. The answer is to return to Jesus, acknowledging that His life in us has already overcome the flesh. Paul himself modeled this by returning to the truths he laid out in Romans 6:11-13—to reckon himself dead to sin and alive to God.
The sooner we return, the more we grow in the habit of trusting Christ rather than relying on ourselves. This is not a cycle of failure but a steady deepening of our dependence on the One who never fails.
A Prayer of Confidence in His Life Within
Father,
Thank You that in every moment, even when I falter, Christ’s life in me remains my sufficiency. I trust that Jesus has already delivered me from the power of sin and that I am alive to You. I rejoice that nothing I face today can separate me from the flow of Your grace. I rest in Your provision, confident that You are guiding me forward. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Final Thought
Every stumble is an opportunity to return to the steady, life-giving flow of God’s grace. Like the river that cannot be stopped, the life of Christ in us moves forward, carrying us beyond every obstacle. Let’s continue in that flow today, confident in His complete sufficiency.