The Law Kills

Laws, you’ve probably noticed, are for law-­breakers. Someone drives sixty miles per hour down a residential street and kills a little kid. Next thing you know, a new twenty­five mile per hour speed limit is being enforced by a 24/7 cop, thereby ruining it for the drivers who had been driving carefully at reasonable speeds.

Laws are also for children. When we were little, my mom had weather­related dress codes. We could go without jackets at sixty, wear shorts at seventy, and swim at eighty degrees. We needed laws like that, because we may have been so enamored with wearing shorts that we would have done so at fifty degrees, gotten badly chilled, and wound up being sick.

What is suitable for a child, however, is not always suitable for an adult. For instance, it sounds right to hear a child say "I can’t eat ice cream for breakfast" or "I have to wash the dishes now." If the child has sensible parents, those statements are probably true. But "can’t" and "have to" can sound pretty ridiculous on an adult. I heard a sixty­year­old say, "My (35­year­old) daughter called and wanted some help on such­and­so, so I have to go help her." You what? Are you saying that disappointing your adult daughter is not an option? You have to go help her?

I caught myself thinking, "I want to take a vacation, but I can’t afford it." Then I realized that I could. I have money that I intend to use for paying down my mortgage at the end of this month. I could use that for a vacation, instead. That doesn’t mean I will, but I now have recognized that I am free to make that choice.

My inspiration for this, however, was my work. I love all the results of work, and I actually love my work. I’m not a lazy, undisciplined person who would do nothing all day if I had the option. But I was getting to the point of hating my work. I felt under pressure all the time. I felt that my work was stealing and destroying my life and my health and my joy.

Then I saw it.

The very moment that a mature adult goes from "I want to" to "I have to," every bit of life disappears. Death reigns from that moment on, as it relates, at least, to that specific area of life. It wasn’t, then, my work that was the real problem, it was my attitude toward my work. The "I have to" attitude was messing up my entire life. We can’t always make up our minds to do something merely because "it has to be done," force ourselves to do it, and expect to have life and good success. Sometimes we have to pray and then simply, expectantly trust that the Lord will give us the oomph to do the things that really must be done.

The law can never give us life.

That’s what grace is for.

If this message has been forwarded to you, and you would like to be added to Charissa’s mailing list please send your request to info@charissaschalk.com. Thank you.