“God answers the mess of life with one word: Grace!” ~ Max Lucado
It’s taken me some time to fully embrace the significance of grace. Understanding that there’s a level of patience, acceptance, and kindness granted regardless of my
imperfectness.
Accepting the beautiful gift of grace has been like accepting Jon’s engagement proposal. Jon and I had been dating for six years and marriage was inevitable. We were in love. Yet, even though I knew how much Jon loved me, I was astounded by the gorgeous ring he designed just for me. When I saw the elegant engagement ring sitting in its velvet box, waiting to be placed on my finger, I couldn’t believe something so beautiful was mine. Jon took such care in making sure I had the best ring to represent our love and devotion. Yet, I didn’t believe that I deserved such a thoughtful gift.
This is what God’s grace is to us.
God loves and cares for us so much that He designed grace as a free, unearned, undeserved gift of salvation. The apostle Paul says in Romans 11: 6, “And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” Grace is God's unmerited favor, giving us God’s approval to be loved and accepted despite our human flaws and sinful nature. It is something exquisite that we could never attain or work toward apart from God’s unconditional love for us.
In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” God did not design grace as something we earn by our good works but as something freely given by our faith in Christ. Grace is what brings us into a closer relationship with the Lord. It represents God’s favor to acquit our transgressions, mistakes, and failures because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Grace allows us to approach the Lord without condemnation.
Grace sets us free.
“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I hope to be. But by the Grace of God I am not what I was.” ~ John Newton
Benefits of Grace
"From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another." John 1:6
Grace is a gift that keeps on giving. It is something I return to time and again to help me survive the chaos of life and overcome the temptations of my human nature (more specifically, my negative mindset and self-degrading attitude). When I choose to accept grace—especially when I don’t deserve it—my life becomes more abundantly blessed. I no longer despise life’s circumstances or ridicule myself for not being worthy, but instead rest in the assurance of God’s love and acceptance of who I am, believing that through His mercy, His faithfulness will sustain me.
Grace is not a one-dimensional concept. It has many facets that can improve our lives and bring us closer to Christ.
Here are three essential benefits of grace:
Grace Transforms Us
"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."
2 Corinthians 12:9
When we go through difficult times and face hardships, grace is the fuel to sustain our strength, increase our motivation, and boost our perseverance. When we rely on grace to help us move forward, God is faithful to work through our circumstances. In our weakness, God’s grace empowers, restores, and rescues us.
Personally, my biggest weakness is my thought life. So much of my beliefs, anxiety, and negativity start and end in my mind. It’s easy for me to become consumed by the lies and stress of my thoughts. It begins as a mental spiral until it swirls into a physical problem. But, as I’m learning to heal and grow (in my mental health and spiritual well-being), I’m realizing how grace can combat these toxic habits.
When I choose grace instead of negativity, I learn to correct my thoughts.
When I choose grace instead of condemnation, I learn to accept my true self.
When I choose grace instead of doubt, I learn to make better choices.
Grace helps me improve my behavior and gives me the courage to face hard things. In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul tells Timothy to “…be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus,” and Hebrews 13:9 says, “…. Your strength comes from God’s grace…” Grace isn’t just meant to give us favor with the Lord, but it is supposed to strengthen us in our time of need. Grace is God’s support to remind us that He is in ultimate control and that by His mercy, we will overcome.
"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
2. Grace Saves Us
"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." ~ Anne Lamott
I need grace to save me almost daily. When my mind is full of worry, regret, depression, or anxiety, I need grace to redeem my mindset. Grace rescues us from the turbulence of our problems, and when we accept its life-saving traits, it can restore our health and transform our lives.
The need for rescue is inevitable in a sin-fallen world. No matter how mature our relationship with Christ is, we will always need grace to redeem our faults and hardships. Remember what Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
In 1 Peter 5:10, Peter reminds us, "In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”
In Jesus, we have confidence that our problems and suffering are momentary.
In Jesus, we have peace knowing He is in control.
In Jesus, we have grace that saves.
A few months ago, I journaled some stress I was feeling while revising my memoir. Writing my book has been an obstacle of ups and downs, feelings of pride and amazement conflicting with emotions of doubt and insecurity. This entry was a reminder of the positive influence of accepting grace:
“When I’m not specifically writing but am processing and researching for my book, I feel like I’m wasting time. I need to give myself grace for the process of writing and allow myself to think and feel. When we’re in touch with our souls, God can heal and restore even more within us. It is by grace we are saved!”
Giving myself grace is a huge lifestyle change for me. It is a practice that helps me accept myself and better understand God's love for me. Grace rescues me from the self-deprecations of my thoughts and restores my mind to believe what God's Word says about me. For me, being saved by grace is more than my salvation; it is the act of being renewed every day.
"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:9
3. Grace Qualifies Us
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10
Paul says in Romans 3:24, “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins”, and in Titus 3:7 he explains, “Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”
Salvation is the most extraordinary and indispensable decision we can ever make. Through Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s unconditional love, we can be freed from our sins, accepted by grace, and receive eternal life. The gift of grace is an astounding part of salvation because it gives us God's favor and qualifies us to do the Lord’s will.
Grace is not an excuse for sinful habits or unwise choices. When we choose to walk in salvation and pursue a relationship with Jesus, grace allows us the understanding, mercy, and patience we need to accept our humanness and keep striving toward righteous living. Grace bridges the chasm between our mistakes and God’s holiness. It does not mask our wrongs but redeems our insecurities.
Whenever I feel insignificant, worthless, unworthy, incompetent, or unimportant, I remind myself of the beauty of grace.
It is by grace that I am saved.
It is by grace that I am accepted.
It is by grace that I am renewed.
It is by grace that I am qualified.
It is by grace that I am enough.
Without grace, we would have no way to be in complete unity with Christ. Without God’s favor, we would struggle through our works to attain something we were never meant to grasp—perfection. Grace is God’s gift that qualifies us because He loves us and wants a personal relationship with us. In our human nature, nothing we do will ever deserve intimacy with the Lord, and that’s why we need grace. Grace is an incredible, indescribable gift that allows us to pursue a relationship with God without ever earning His favor. It is the best gift we will ever receive.
"May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you." Numbers 6:15
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