7 or 8?

For most of my teenage and adult life, I rarely missed a day of work. Whether working as a day care teacher or a burger flipper, I was usually at work fifteen minutes before I needed to be. As a middle school teacher, the only time I used "personal days" was to scout out a field trip.

In 2013, I was diagnosed with severe psoriatic arthritis, but for a year or two prior to that, my body was filled with increasing pain and deformity. My rheumatologist started me on biologics medications, which dampen my immune system, but it is a chronic condition and won't ever go away completely. I stopped teaching and moved to a part-time job in a call center.

And in the past four years, I have missed work because of my disease. Doctors appointments are often during work hours, but I'm referring to waking up in the morning and not being able to function because of pain.

This week, as I spoke to my supervisor about missing work, she was very understanding. But as I walked away, I couldn't help but think that eventually the boss's grace will run out.

Isn't that the way we think of God's grace? How many times can I sin the same sin and He'll still forgive me? I know it's wrong and I do it anyway. Eventually He'll get tired of it. He'll lose patience with me. Right?

Psalm 103:12 tells us that God has removed our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. How far is that, exactly? So far that they can never touch. And vs. 13 promises that God has compassion on us, because He knows we are but dust. We are but dust, but God is faithful and righteous and will forgive us every time we ask Him to (1 John 1:9).

OK, so maybe God doesn't get tired of it, but I sure do! Geez! Haven't we been through this, Melissa? Just stop! Romans 7:23-24 says it more eloquently: "I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

And the answer is God's answer every time: "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:1-3)

Possibly the most hope-filled bit of Scripture. But as God always does, He goes a step farther: "so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:4)

Maybe, eventually, my boss's patience will run out, but I can be forgiven as many times as it takes. Still,

God saves me so that I can live according to the Spirit from now on. Are you living in Romans 7 or Romans 8 today?