A song by Rascal Flatts made me ponder a larger question today. The song is called “My Wish” and the lyrics are really nice.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

We wish a lot of things that good. We wish good health for those we like and love. We wish that friends and family will prosper. But if I could have one wish for you what would it be? I think I would wish that every one would be able to experience the safety and acceptance of a community of grace. And if that wish is too big then I would wish for a room of grace. I especially wish that grace environment for my brothers and sisters in the faith who have been wounded by the church, other Christians and by life. I wish that those aching souls could find a place where trust can be possible and love can be accepted.

My friend John Lynch says it well.

“Imagine a safe place where the worst of you could be known and yet you would discover that you were loved more, not less, for the telling.”

I confess that I once thought that wish to be an impossible dream. But I am experiencing that place now. Perhaps not yet a community but small pockets of grace that are slowly expanding in influence. I will not give up on my wish for you. I pray that I will be able to create a room of grace where my friends and family will find it safe to be known.

What would such a place look like? 

The novel Bo’s Cafe tells the story of a man who needs grace desperately. His story is no different from mine or yours. We need grace desperately as well. Pick it up. And let me know what you think.