Grace. A simple five letter word. A simple concept and yet, we have complicated it beyond acceptability? Last week at our faith community, The Whatever, Mike Todd asked us to think about the fact that grace stands alone, needs nothing added to it, should not have anything added to it. Somehow each of us put conditions on our own acceptance of grace.
What hooks do you have on grace? My hook, or rather one of the largest ones, is that in order to receive grace I had better not make mistakes. Making mistakes disqualifies me from grace – at least in my own mind, my own perspective of who God is, this is the caveat I have put on receiving grace. A caveat that is totally ineffective – there is no need to block grace and nothing can do so. Grace is simply unquantifiable.
Making mistakes, or not having things “perfect” not only isolates the heart and mind from grace but the reality is that in the places of brokenness and mistakes grace, amazing grace is offered. Grace and our imperfections can co-exist. In this place my story is being written and its redemption is actively taking place. It is 100% pure grace, unconditional love found where grace and our imperfections intersect and where we meet the giver of grace, Jesus. One more prison door is unlocked in our progression deeper into freedom, the freedom that is Truth and the place of Love that casts out fear. Grace pours in shalom and brings with it Light to break the darkness.
If grace in our brokenness brings redemption in our story, and we are moved towards freedom, then somehow putting conditions on grace says we fear freedom. Why? Why are we then, in effect, so profoundly afraid of freedom?
After ruminating on grace, and “mistakes”, I realize that grace, and our acceptance of it is essential to finding those essential threads necessary to embracing my story along with the Author of it. Healing takes place in the redeeming. Grace therefore is an essential healing agent in our lives. Grace with no hooks, no conditions, no additives or preservatives – just 100% pure grace.
1 comment:
redefining grace was the largest step in my recovery and healing.
you would love the movie 'babette's feast' - phillip yancy promotes it as a wonderful example of god's embarrassing, lavish grace.
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