Grace is a word I’ve heard my whole life. It’s at the heart of Christianity and the story of salvation. God extends grace, that which we don’t deserve, to us through the death and resurrection of Christ. It is this act and our belief that restores our relationship with God and saves humanity from its brokenness. This word has been coming alive into a more fuller meaning lately. I love the imagery of grace like a river. It washes over us. It covers us. It restores us. At any moment, no matter where I’m at, no matter what I’ve just done, no matter where my heart currently stands or how distracted it may be, in each moment God looks down on me with extreme and utmost love and says, “I love you, Hunter”. When I pause to think on these words being spoken by the God of the universe to me, I think of the joy that it is to walk in this reality. And it is reality. At any moment, He is deeply in love with me and desires to be with me. In no way do I mean to demean or belittle God in saying this, but what if I saw that God was just a little obsessed with me. I mean that He yearns and craves to spend time with me and just longs for the moment that I come to Him and sit with Him. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Nothing fancy. He just wants to be with me. He just wants my heart. What if, in a way, I saw God as just a little bit desperate for me. I do not mean any disrespect and it honestly feels a bit odd writing this. But I don’t mean that He needs us. When I think of the word desperate, I think of someone who will go to any length, pay any cost, sacrifice anything, to complete his/her purpose. And if they are truly desperate, they will do anything! Sounds a lot like what God did for us. He was willing to do anything and He did. I by no means believe God is desperate for us in that He is dependent on us, but might He just be a bit desperate for us to know Him? I mean He gave everything and that which was most precious to Him just to have a relationship with us. He deeply craves and longs for a relationship with us. He gave EVERYTHING. The whole story of the Bible, the whole narrative of creation and existence itself is so that man would know and have a relationship with God. There was a disruption in this through sin, but the beauty of the Gospel is that He gave up EVERYTHING to restore that relationship with the ones (you and me) that He loves most. And more, what if we had just a bit of that same desperation for Him? What if I, Hunter Beck, could see how radical and extreme God’s love is for me and dwelt on this on a more continual basis? What freedom and grace I would walk in every single day. “For freedom, I have been set free” (Galatians 5:1). I feel I’d be walking on clouds, breathing in the sunshine, head a little higher and smile a little brighter. Man, we truly are soo deeply loved when we take a moment to pause and reflect on it. His grace is so over-the-top and abundant. It washes over us at every moment. It is always accessible. God truly is love.
One last thing I want to share, thanks to an excellent word from our mentor, Kylee, is that this love that washes over me and is always present for me, is the same love that washes over my friends, family, fellow believers, and so on. Do I always see people in this light though? I mean I know this in my head, but how does it affect my heart and how I act and talk towards people? Especially those closest to me. I have heard a lot of sermons that talk about “ME” being the recipient of God’s grace and love. 100% true, no doubt. But the same infinite love and grace that has been extended to me is the same abundant love and grace that washes over those around me. I mean it’s a massive waterfall of grace and love that God has for them. I long to see people in that same light. A slight shift in how I see things, but massively encouraging for me to see people through the same lens that God does. When I see things differently than someone, have a disagreement with someone, or disagree with how someone handled a situation, it doesn’t matter who is right or wrong, God’s grace is abundant and waiting right there for both myself and the other party. I long to see people through this lens and also to extend God’s grace in the same way He does for me. At any moment, no matter where they’re at, no matter what they’ve just done, no matter where their heart currently stands or how distracted it may be, in each moment I long to look at them with extreme and utmost love and say, “I love you!”. Thank God for His grace as I learn more about His grace and grow to look more like Him each day :).
