Joy Changes Our Gait

One of the last places I traveled before Covid was San Francisco with Troy and two of our daughters. Lots of fun and laughter, lots of sights to see, streetcars to ride, amazing food to eat. But I was struck by body posture throughout our time there. As a physical therapist (now retired), I still find myself analyzing gait and posture, looking for reasons why someone seems to limp or walk funny. So many moments over this trip, I observed the hunched backs, rounded with discouragement, hardship, bent over with defeat. So many hurting and lost, sitting against walls, heads almost touching their laps or shuffling along aimlessly moving from corner to corner. I noted the limping, wounded gait hesitating in its stride, and I had to wonder about the stories, about the moments that led them to here. 

Often we live in snapshot moments, the failure of an instant becomes the harbinger of patterned defeat. We can believe the whispers that we always respond, we always lose our way, we will never be different, trapped in the actions of the moment, forever to repeat. So many of us feel inwardly the crippling, crumpling influence of the enemy - the lies, shame, or condemnation cause our own limping or own bowed heads.

Yet God offers us joy. He promises His grace in the moments we feel forgotten. He rescues from our trappings, releases from our bondage and ushers us into a triumphant walk of joy.

WALKING IN TRIUMPH

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God in the sight of God we speak in Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14-17

 We are led in a triumphal procession in Christ and by Christ. No longer do we huddle under the threat of the Sword of destruction and doom, haunted by the what ifs, missteps, or mistakes. Make no mistake in this passage in 2 Corinthians, Paul is using a very purposeful picture to represent how we walk as God’s people. 

The triumphal procession is the walk of the Grace Filled Warrior. She is not the victorious general who has defeated the enemy, No, she walks triumphantly behind the Victorious One. 

What exactly is a triumphal procession? It was the highest honour bestowed upon a victorious general in the ancient Roman Republic. A Roman triumph was a spectacular victory celebration parade held in the city of Rome for a military commander who had won an important victory on the battlefield. Granted by the Senate, it was a lavish and entertaining propaganda spectacle which reminded the people of the glory of Rome and its military superiority above all other nations. {https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Triumph/} The walk of the victor marching into the city of the winning army, declaring their victory, and displaying the spoils of their war. Always the captives and the spoils of victory would headline the triumph. Then the exultant general would enter followed by his soldiers who had battled with him. 

THE GOSPEL CHANGES EVERYTHING

And this is the picture for you and for me. We are the warriors walking behind our Victorious King.

The Gospel changes everything about motherhood. Purpose, joy, contentment, self worth, hope all hinge on our understanding of the Gospel. Radically realigning all our affection, all our purpose, all our vision shifts the viewpoint of each part of our motherhood journey. The translation of the Gospel into our everyday lives allows us to speak confidently to our children about faith in Jesus in a way that is contagious and compelling. 

We live in an era that says there is so much to gain, so much to learn, so much to do. We are encouraged to be ever reaching, ever improving, and ever changing. We compare ourselves to where we were before, looking for areas of strength and weakness. Surrounded by so many voices telling us how to care for our children, we worry about pitfalls or blindspots we may have. Comparison through pictures and announcements illuminates where we are lacking, and we measure inadequacies and ignorance with precise recordkeeping. Seeking improvements, recognizing failure, many of us anxiously await the outcome of 18 years with our beloved babes, wondering if this will ever get easier. 

Joy is hope set on Christ, not set on any circumstance. When I recognize the great exchange that happens - Jesus exchanges my sin with his forgiveness, my failure with His victory, my wreckage with His beauty, my identity becomes solidly built upon His rescue. And snapshot moments begin to flow together into a transforming lifetime with rivers of grace softening the jagged edges of sin and mistakes. 

The Gospel is enough. He is enough. Whatever you carry, whatever burdens and weighs you down with worries, fears, bondage, grief, or pressure to perform, Jesus is enough. Allow the joy of following Him, walking in His grace, to lift your head and change your gait. 

photo credit: @chrishardyphotography