Finding the Right Angle

Recently, I was working on making a dining room table. As I was creating it I was taking my time to "measure twice cut once". When I would get in a hurry then I paid the price. Part way through the project I checked how square the apron was to the top...it wasn't a right angle. It seemed that the work that I did to fasten it all down didn't create the right angle I wanted. This made me concerned about how the legs would look by the end. (If you ever come and see it, don't look too close)

To make sure that one would get a right angle, then there are lot of precautions to take into consideration. There are lots of tools and rules to follow in order to make sure that the angle is specifically 90-degrees. It doesn't take much, especially when human error is involved, to be off a few degrees. One can try and try and try, but there is still the chance that the project will be off...then what is one to do? All that work and not a perfect angle to show for it. It can drive some people crazy. Those that suffer with any part of obsessive compulsive disorder would be spinning in circles over something not correct.

Trying to find the right angle is how some people approach God. All they know is to follow the rules. Trying to do all the correct things so they can feel that they have done all they can do to make sure "in the end" they can stand before Him knowing they did the correct things. They may read their Bible so that they can feel good about themselves. They are a part of a church and go for the purpose of feeling good about themselves. They behave both, in church and society, in a way that makes sure they are doing right.

Just as it is a lot of effort to make sure my project's angles were square, it is a lot of effort to make sure that you achieve a right angle with God. But what would you do if you were off by any fraction of a degree? What would you do if you found out that an error you'd committed when you were 20 years old took you away from being at a right angle and caused you to lose out on any hope of heaven? You would have done anything to go back to that day and change it, right?

Don't misunderstand to think one should do things at the other end of the spectrum and be okay with God. God is just, which, to me, means that sometimes He must show "tough" love and will hold people accountable for what they've done or not done while they lived their life.

What I am getting at is that grace, which God has given mankind, is something that shouldn't make us worry if we are at a "right angle" with God, or not. We can be a few degrees off and still look good to God. One person once described grace as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense". The first letter of each of those words spells out grace.

That description is so true! We are able to be a few degrees off, because we are sinners. We are able to be right with God because of the grace that has been given to us through Christ paying the price.

I tried to make sure that my project had right angles. However, because it does not have every angle the way it is supposed to be that doesn't make it a total waste. Let us not get caught up in being too concerned if our life is filled with right angles, but rather understand that as a Christian, we can be a few degrees off and God will still give us the opportunity to be in heaven!

Enjoy life, even if you are a few degrees off of a right angle!