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A faithful presence of love in the absences of our city.

It is Finished

tranquility

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:28-30

As new parents Brian and I have quickly discovered how all-consuming trying to keep a tiny human alive is, and how easy it is to judge ourselves for “not doing something right.” We’ve only been parents for two short weeks, and it is already overwhelmingly apparent that we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing. Even before parenthood we found ourselves looking at how others were parenting and scrutinizing them, vowing never to do something a certain way when we became parents. It is only now the full reality of the implications of this scrutiny has come to light as we constantly second guess our own decisions and realize that, like us, everyone is simply doing the best that we, as sinful human beings living in a broken world, can do when raising a child. However, that doesn’t stop us from constantly measuring our worth by how well we perceive ourselves to be raising our new son.

Despite knowing that “it is finished” and that our worth is not measured by our works but through Christ, we still want to earn it somehow. We think that if we are better parents or better Christians that somehow we will be seen as better or more worthy of grace in God’s eyes. I was convicted hearing the scripture Justin referenced on Sunday from Hebrews 10:11-14.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

How often do we repeatedly offer up sacrifices of “good parenting” that can never take away sins, rather than resting in the fact that Jesus already made the perfect offering on our behalf, and sat down at the Father’s right hand proclaiming “it is finished!” Because of this good news, we are freed from the expectations of this world and can live knowing that our debt is fully paid by Christ on the cross.

It is because of and through this good news that we can live under the banner “it is finished” and embark on the parenting adventure from grace instead of for grace. We can make mistakes, display our ignorance, forget to love, fail to model Christ for our son, and admit our sin, knowing that Christ is victorious over all of it and that his redemptive work is finished.

~ Rachel Whippo 

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