Experiencing Grace
A Thirty-Day Pilgrimage with a Mildly Autistic Mystic
by
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What makes something seem impossible? I can’t count how many times I have convinced myself that this thing or that thing was impossible. Many, many times. And I can’t count how many times God has shown me that what I thought was impossible was, in fact, possible. Many, many times.
The Bible is full of impossibilities; or rather I should say, the Bible is full of people facing seemingly impossible situations. Take Moses, for instance. Here was a man chosen by God to do something monumental: help free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the Promised Land. Moses saw this as an impossible task, at least for him.
You may remember that when God called Moses into a position of leadership, Moses was a fugitive. He was on the run for murdering an Egyptian and hiding his body. Not a very promising start. But God saw something special in Moses, even if Moses did not see it in himself. It is almost comical watching him try to wiggle out of God’s call. He certainly had enough excuses:
1. I’m not good enough to go to Pharaoh and demand the Israelites’ freedom.
2. The Israelites won’t listen to me—they don’t even know who I am.
3. And even if they do listen, they probably won’t believe me.
4. And … I’m a terrible public speaker.
For each excuse, God had an answer. God was with Moses each step of the way and provided the necessary tools for him to be successful. In the end, not only did the Israelites gain their freedom and a homeland but they also came to know their God. And Moses enjoyed a closer relationship with God than anyone other than Jesus.
We may never face a task as large as the one Moses was given, but God is every bit as present in our lives as he was in Moses’s. However, circumstances can make it difficult for us to see or feel God’s presence. We often wonder where God is when God is right beside us.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
For Reflection
Journal the answers to questions 1, 2, and 4:
1. Have you ever faced an “impossible” situation? What was the outcome?
2. What impossibility or impossibilities are you currently facing? Where is God?
3. Read Moses’s call story in Exodus chapters 3 and 4.
4. How did God deal with Moses’s “impossibilities”?
5. During your prayer/meditation time, reflect on God’s love and care for you.
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About the Book
When Jesus called his first disciples, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” Jesus knew that we are all searching for something: a relationship with God; a grace-filled way of living; and the answers to life’s most important questions such as “Who am I?” Too often we seek those answers in the wrong places. We can search the world and come up empty only to find that what we were seeking was inside of us all along.
In a part-spiritual autobiography and part-guided meditation, certified spiritual director Mark Ekstrom invites believers to join him on a journey of self-discovery and faith while offering insight into his spiritual ups and downs, doubts, wonderings, and the growth that has brought him to where he is today. Organized as a thirty-day pilgrimage with daily meditations, spiritual seekers are guided through reflection questions, scripture readings, spiritual disciplines, and prayer in order to experience God’s love and grace more fully, foster a deeper spirituality, and continue to build a strong personal relationship with God.
Experiencing Grace leads believers on an introspective thirty-day journey to encourage an awareness of God not as a theological concept, but as a transforming relationship.
About the Author
Mark Ekstrom is a certified spiritual director and semi-retired pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The parents of triplets, Mark and his wife, Jody, divide their time between Omaha, Nebraska, and Naples, Florida. Experiencing Grace is his first book.