BORN IN THE PEW (But Almost Missed Grace)

I was practically born in a church pew. Mom went into labor singing "Amazing Grace" but didn't want to interrupt the sermon.

You'd think such close proximity to the altar would make me holy, but Mom reframed the narrative. "Nikki was so good that she waited for the church service to be over before she was born."

It happened to a lot of Sunday School kids like me—the fast track to holy living had officially begun.

By age 4, I gave my heart to Jesus. By age 5, I achieved perfect church attendance. By age 7, I earned dozens of shiny gold stars in my Bible.

Throughout my childhood, I submitted unruly hair to pink sponge curlers and squeezed growing feet into too-tight shoes, hoping to reach perfection.

But after years of trying, I only felt worse.

"Be sure your sin will find you out!" Mom used to remind me as a teen. That voice followed me right into adulthood, where I hung out in the back pew.

But here's what every broken believer needs to know:

No behavior serves as a shortcut to holiness. The only way to a Holy God is through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Momma's well-worn Amplified Bible says it this way:

“But now [at this very moment] in Christ Jesus you who once were [so very] far away [from God] have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” -Ephesians 2:13

Jesus shouted, "It is finished!" so the people in the back pew could hear Him and know.

• His mercy extends far beyond our sin.

• His grace reaches well past our best effort.

Most days, we don't look very holy. All we see in the mirror are flaws and failures.

Yet one day, we’ll see ourselves as God sees us, perfectly reflected in our Savior's eyes.

"When He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is." -1 John 3:2

So until that glorious day, press on. Stay close to Jesus; don't live afraid.

Run the race, but rest well knowing that your reward awaits.

Not because you were born into the right pew or are still hanging on for dear life in the back, but because Amazing Grace set eyes on you long before you walked into church.

That's the story we Sunday School kids need to stick to — born a sinner, saved by His Grace.