It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been slightly unsure of whether or not to post until the new routes release and I know what I’ll be doing World Race wise, but this past week I had an interesting conversation with a friend and it got me thinking about some things.
Basically the conversation comes down to accepting grace. Grace from God, grace from people, grace from ourselves. I’m willing to bet I’m not alone in this struggle to accept grace. Afterall, it is an odd concept to the world in which we live. That being said, I think there are two camps. Camp one is the world we live in, Earth. Camp two is God’s camp.
Everyone has at least one foot in camp one, one foot in the world. Because of this truth we experience the world as it is…which by the way was not God’s original intention. He did not create man so that we would live separate from Him, or so that we would struggle with sin, accepting grace, understanding Him, not knowing Him. He created man to be in perfect relationship with Him. Sin messed that up, but Jesus redeemed us. I think it’s in Romans that talks about living in the world but not be conformed by the world, making it obvious that everyone has one foot in the world.
Our second foot is where we have the choice of where we stand. We can have our second foot in the world, or if we are believers, our second foot is in God’s camp. Meaning that if we are believers we know the ways of God, how He intended things to be, how He created man in His image, how people have value not based on their performance, but based solely on the fact that God created them; therefore, we can strive to be like God while still having one foot in the world.
All this to say, I think there are two camps, and I personally have one foot in both camps. By having one foot in both camps there are times I struggle to understand things of God. Mostly, because the world is not based on God. The world does not see me the way God sees me. The world does not know or act upon knowledge of God’s Truths. Now, I am by no means saying I need to understand it all, or will understand it all, I do not believe that is possible this side of Heaven. Take for example this conversation about accepting grace. Because I grew up in the world, the first experience I had with worth or value was from my family and friends who also live in the world, and therefore have skewed views of value. In the world value is assigned based on performance. When we perform well and are successful we move up the ranks in terms of our value or worth. Likewise, when we underperform of fail, we move down the ranks.
BUT…this is not the way God views our value and worth. According the Genesis 1 we were created in the image of God. This is beautiful! This means that no matter what we do, good or bad, God sees us as valuable. Our value does not change, we do not move up and down in the ranks of worth with God. We are worthy because He says we are worthy, period, end of discussion. There is nothing you, or I for that matter, can do to change our worth or value in God’s eyes. Basically, no matter how bad we mess things up, God offers us grace and is able to continue seeing us as valuable. For me, learning that worth and value is based on performance, that’s a hard concept to grasp. No matter how much I sin, God covers me with His grace and still sees me as His daughter, created in His image. The same is true for you!!
I had to do some research on grace. I’ve seen it in the lives of people I know, in the lives of believers around me, those who have one foot in God’s camp and who try to transfer what’s in God’s camp to the Earth camp. I see it when I don’t handle a situation well and I get frustrated over something silly or petty, maybe I even get mad and show it, and my friends offer me grace, they forgive me and move on and our relationship stays good. They don’t sit there and say “Oh man Stephanie screwed up so we’re going to have to wait until she does something right again before we can continue in relationship with her, before we can continue to love her and care about her.” Rather they say, “Man you messed this up, but I forgive you, and I choose to continue in relationship with you because you are God’s daughter and you are created in His image.” I’ve seen it when my friends’ kids have broken things or used expensive products in their hair, that don’t belong in hair. They don’t get mad, they help them clean it up, they love on them, and tell them it’s ok, and they move on to something else. They also don’t hold it over their heads and continue to remind them of that last time they really messed up.
The way I’ve seen grace that I love the most is in consequences. Kids mess up and they have consequences sometimes. My friend once had a bucket that had some slips of paper and when the kids did something that lost them a toy they could earn the toy back by completing a task on the paper. Maybe it was empty the dishwasher, or clean the toilets, but the best slip of paper that they could draw out of the bucket said “Grace.” If they drew this slip, they were given grace and were given the toy back without consequence. How amazing and lovely is that?! That is what God does on a consistent basis. Sure there may be worldly consequence, we may have a general consequence to our sin, but in the end, we do not pay for it eternally because Christ already did that on the cross.
So how do we accept grace? This is the magic question right now. Honestly, I’m not sure I have an answer to this question. What I do know though, is that, as with most things with God, it probably requires faith and trust. I’m guessing that in order for me to accept the grace of God, I must be willing to trust that it is really available to me at all times.
No matter how big I mess up, God’s grace is there to cover me.
I would love to think there are some practical ways that we can use to accept grace, like we can say some specific sentence or we can pray something specific or we could jump up and down, spin around three times, then roll down a hill….just kidding, that’s just crazy 😉 But in the end, I think accepting grace comes down to having a little better understanding of what grace is…
…Grace is getting things we don’t deserve…
And then choosing to trust it’s available to me. Choosing to trust I am not too messed up to receive God’s grace.
“And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:6
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Daddy God, I thank you for your grace. Thank you that no matter how bad we mess things up, because we will, you are always there with your hands stretched out with grace to cover us. Thank you God that there are not ranks of value or worth in your system. Thank you that we are valuable and worthy in your eyes because you created us and love us dearly. Thank you Lord that we do not have to pay in eternity for our sins, that we can rest in knowing they have been paid for once and for all, as Jesus said “It is finished.” Thank you Lord that I do not have to be accountable for the payment of my errors, but that Jesus paid for them and you offer me grace to cover them. Please help me, and my friends, and those reading this to have faith in accepting your grace. Help us to really know and believe that your grace is big enough, and wide enough, and deep enough for the ways we mess up; that there is nothing we can do wrong that is too big for your grace to cover or be offered out to us. We love you Lord and we praise you for these Truths. In Jesus name, Amen.
