"Failure Reminds us of Grace During Lent," Simplicity in the Burbs ($2 a day) [Day 15-16]

Failure.  I failed.  It was unintentionally, but nevertheless, I failed.  My goal for Lent has been to stay under $2 a day with my food and any extra expenses that may come up.  And yesterday when I hit the auto-sum button on my Excel spreadsheet, I realized I had topped the scales by $0.08.  I truly was bummed but then I began to think of the character of God.  If my goal is to appease God, then I am missing the point.  And if my goal is to prove that “I can do it” or some other ego driven piety, then I miss the point.  The God I worship cares about the heart and not the letter of the law.  He is a God who provided cities of Refuge for those who unintentionally committed a grave offense.  He is the God who reminds me that it is his grace that has saved this mortal life, not my effort.  Grace.  Maybe that is the word I should have started this post with.  My failure reminds me of Christ’s competence and that in Christ, grace and his faithfulness are wonderful gifts.  So, to rewrite the beginning of this post…

Grace.  I receive grace.  It was not of my own doing, which is why it is grace.

Here are the totals for the past two days…