Chris' prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "Only Natural"

Advertisements. Newspaper and magazine articles. Television shows. Music. We are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us both what "natural" is and how we should do "what comes naturally." It is natural, for instance, for men to sow their seed, to desire physical intimacy as a primary need. It is natural, we are told, to protect our own interests, to look out for ourselves. It is natural to seek justice for those who have wronged us, and also somehow natural to seek to avoid justice when we have wronged others. It's only natural.

But, as Chapman explains, we are not called to be natural. We are called by God to be supernatural. We are called to rise above our natural instincts. Indeed, what other creatures are able to move past instinctual urges, to supersede them?

One way that we are able to reach past natural instinct is by forgiving others. Taken logically, it doesn't make any sense to forgive people when they hurt us, and indeed, we see this on a national level all the time. Nations don't want to be seen as weak and vulnerable, so they avoid asking for forgiveness for the wrongs they have committed. On a personal level, we do it, too. It is not easy to place one's self in the vulnerable position of asking for forgiveness. However, we have all experienced the relief and grace that comes with not only asking for forgiveness (whether it is granted or not), but also in providing that relief and grace for others. By sharing in the grace that comes in saying or receiving "I'm sorry," we are able to become more than what is natural.


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