Uncle Steve's Letter

A great preacher by the name of Charles Spurgeon once said. "Free grace can go into the gutter and bring up a jewel." For you and I young man, there is no greater truth. 

You may not know this, but in this life I was at times a liar, a thief, a foolish man, dishonorable and scared, addicted to my own selfish pleasures and unable to admit even to myself that I was wrong. I tell you this at risk of changing the way you think of me, but I would rather you hear those truths than think of me as a man who relies on anything other than Christ to define who I am.

You see, the worst sin I have ever commited was hardly worse than my smallest sin when compared to the price that was paid for those sins. The greatest thing I have ever learned is that those sins are gone, done, finished.

In other words, the Christ that died for me came into the gutter to rescue me. He promised to heal me and leave me as clean as a sparkling jewel in the eyes of our Lord. I tell you this as a reminder that the worst you ever do Joshua is already paid for. If you find yourself living with guilt, shame, grief, or just questioning your own value, remember that you are an amazing and valued son of the King of Kings, destined to inherit eternal life. Christ can heal you in this life, just as he can heal death eternally. Every experience you have is designed to bring you closer to God, no matter how much it hurts or makes you sad, or angry, or scared. These are things every man feels, no matter how tough they look or act and those feelings are a gift, not to be ignored.

This also means you can be free from your own weaknesses and failures. No matter what happens,
you are accepted by God himself. And you will always be accepted by me.

What that beautiful quote also means is that with a little grace of your own you can be a part of other people's lives and by giving grace to others you may find a jewel hidden in the people around you. You will have chances to give grace to others and lift them up in much the way Christ has lifted you up.

And Joshua, I know you will be good at it on most days, but on the days that you are not good at it, on the days when you fail, I will love you as much as ever, but even so, Christ will love you better, forever.