This t-shirt was posted on the Facebook page of Miss Sadie Robertson of the Duck Dynasty clan. This child has become an inspirational role model for young girls. She is not afraid to claim Christ as her Saviour. She travels around speaking at youth conventions in an effort to spread the word of Christ. When I saw this shirt, I really loved it and it was sheer brilliance to parody the pop song "All about that Bass-NoTreble" that is so popular with teens today.
Now onto the meat of my post. I would like to rant for a moment. When I was reading the comments on this shirt on Facebook. There was such an outpouring of support for the message that God's grace is sufficient. Then BAM! Out of the blue a lady professing to be a Christian bashed this shirt. This bothered me when I read it and I went back to find the comment and it is now gone. I cannot quote it word for word, but she stated very firmly her belief that this shirt was misleading. She said that as a Christian we should never try to portray that if you are a Christian and serve God that you will not have struggles. She said we all struggle and just because you become a Christian your struggles don't end and that as Christians we are misleading others into thanking that if they accept God they will never struggle. OH MY STARS!
She just doesn't get it. I don't mean to be judgmental but she missed the whole concept. GOD's grace is far reaching. It is all encompassing. Simply by being a Christian your struggles will not end, that is true. But having a Saviour to guide you through those struggles, to hold your hand in times of need and to bring you safely through is not something to scoff at.
Have I had struggles in my Christian life? More than anyone would ever guess. Has God's grace brought me through? Every. Single. Time.
He is love. He is mercy. He is grace. He is compassion. He is our light, our salvation. And if it was not for His grace I don't know where I would be. When He allows struggles to come my way I rejoice in the grace that brings me through.
The premise behind the bass song is that the lady loves hearing bass. She doesn't want to listen to treble; she enjoys the bass. It is what is important to her. So the concept of the "all about that grace, no struggles" implies that we WANT His grace; we NEED His grace. We don't want to struggle through this world alone. We want someone to take our problems and to forgive us and help us through life. And we have that in God. We as Christians are all about His grace. That is our focus. We are not about the struggles. We don't want them to be the highlight of our Christian walk. We want it to be about HIS GRACE not about our struggles. That is what I take as the meaning behind the shirt.
So yes, I am all about that grace, 'bout that grace. And the lady that thinks this is a very un-Christian shirt? Well, I can only pray that God reveals to her just how important His grace is to His children.
Rant over. Enjoy your Sunday.
