God’s Gift of Grace for Me, for Thee, for We

Writing about grace has been a challenge. It’s a subject that theologians, poets and people of faith have written about since; well, the beginning. Because God loves us, God’s grace extends to all of us. Grace that began in Eden. Grace that will endure until a bloodied and wounded lamb reunifies heaven and earth in a realm reverberating in God’s love.

Overcoming this word wrestle with the realization that maybe it’s not about the articulation of grace, as opposed to the actualization of grace. Language linked to real-life actions. Describing the power of God’s gift of undeserving grace that’s saved my life; and my obligation to extend this same gift of grace to myself and all people.

Taught as a child and affirmed as an adult born-again that God is Love. A Love so incomprehensibly great and so inexplicably good that only the Creator of all Life would be endowed with these capabilities and enabled with this wisdom. A wisdom that surpasses all understanding, especially our own. Mine for sure.

Genuine love is also both autonomous (freely chosen) and gracious. Free choice seems straightforward and understandable. When we’re coerced, feel obligated or incentivized to “love” someone it’s never genuine love or even worse.

Nor is this the type of relationship that God desires from us. While God wants to be in all our lives, God also wants us to make that choice freely. Otherwise, it’s not coming from a place of love. Maybe fear, perhaps guilt, or false virtue, but it’s not love.

Grace is my challenge. Freely accepting God’s gift of grace for myself and then extending that same gift of grace towards everyone that I encounter in my life; I mean everyone. Even towards those who disagree with me, those who would hurt me and those who reject the God of Love. Follow Jesus and you are called to be a disciple of Love and a distributor of grace.

Way too many people believe Evil’s lies that God doesn’t love them because they feel unworthy. They are unworthy; I’m unworthy; We’re all unworthy. All of us have fallen short of honoring God, living a life of right relations, of doing unto others, loving God, and loving all our neighbors. Only because of God’s gift of grace, does love triumph and the Sisyphean cycle of human suffering end.

If any person, prophet, priest or preacher tells you that you’re not deserving of God’s love or that God’s grace doesn’t extend to you. They are wrong. Jesus is clear in his proclamation that the kingdom of God calls all people. There’s no exceptions, no asterisks, no legal fine print and no exclusions.

Too much of my life has been a wasted journey of resisting God’s grace and God’s invitation to love. As a teenager I filled my heart with fabricated shame, only to replace it with stuff as an adult. Forgoing God’s grace when life confused me. Forsaking God’s love for what I desired which was something other than love.  

My hardened heart would eventually shatter after years of resistance. Finally, and fully accepting God’s invitation of grace. A heart transformed because of grace. A life saved because of Love. A disciple who is called to love God, myself and neighbor. Or so I thought.

There’s a genuine challenge demonstrating grace in our desire to honor God. When we fail, when others fail us, and when we think others have failed us. While it’s easy to understand, in reality it’s trying, testing and tough to live.

But Love knows no other option. God extends His grace to us 24/7, 365 days, and for all the days of our life. If God can forgive us our trespasses, well, you know the rest.

I’m still learning to extend grace to myself because I will continue to miss the mark (hopefully not as often). But God knows my heart and God knows that it’s my desire to do His will. As opposed to living a life paralyzed with fear, I’m choosing to live a life powered with Love and prevailing with grace.     

I’m still learning to extend grace to others because like me, they have and will miss the mark. I will also miss the mark when I make assumptions about their actions like when others hurt me. Knowing that their non-loving actions usually have nothing to do with me. I’m just at the wrong place during the wrong time (though not always).

While this brings little consolation in the moment, that moment will pass if you allow it too. Only God knows anyone’s heart, even if we believe otherwise. God will separate the chaff from the wheat; the goats from the sheep. Like love, grace is not finite, it’s about generosity without judgement.

I’m still learning to know and understand the extent of God’s grace for all of us. Cognizant of my own human folly when life and people frustrate me. Like when I still foolishly reject God’s gracious invitation to be in a loving, healthy and life affirming relationship with our Creator and with all creatures of creation. Grace is God’s gift to Love. A gift God requires us to share with all people.