Grace is enough to to cover not only the hard things you wish you'd never done but also the good things that you wish you had got done, the things that can weigh heaviest of all. ~Ann Voskamp
Grace: the free and unmerited favor of God - Websters Dictionary
But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you..." - 2 Cor. 12:9
For by grace you have been saved... - Eph. 2:8
But he gives more grace. - James 4:6
And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. John 1:16
Grace upon grace. How beautiful is that? The free, unmerited favor of God - and we get that dumped on us. Did I deserve to have Jesus come die for my sins? No. Could I have paid the penalty for my sins on my own? No. Would I ever be able to reach God on my own? No. It's only because of God's grace. He does it all. And even after He paid the penalty for my sins - grace washing over my sin stained self - He continues to dump grace on me. I see it everyday - grace in the sunset as I was driving home, grace in the encouragement of a friend when I desperately needed it, grace in the forgiveness of one high school student to another. You can see it everywhere if you just take the time to look.
And if so much grace surrounds me...shouldn't I be a part of it?
There's been a relationship in my life that has caused more tears, more heartache, more hurt than anything I've ever experienced. And somehow through all of that and with a large dose of God's grace - He has used that to cause me to fall more in love with Him. It still astounds me that so much hurt could be used for His good. Yet, some of that hurt still remains even after over a year of silence within this relationship.
And suddenly...an email...an apology...I stared at this email for several long minutes recalling the hurt. Wanting to hold on to that and answer in anger, "Now? After all this time...NOW you tell me our friendship means something to you?" I wanted to say that it was too little, too late...and yet....grace.
How can I not offer the same grace I've been given - grace given when I've done far worse to the God of the universe who created me - to the people around me? And so...I closed the email. Maybe that's surprising. Maybe a stronger person could have responded gracefully right then. But sometimes grace needs time. Or...at least I need time. I knew that I would not be able to respond without some cleverly worded phrase that would sting...just a little. And so I gave myself a day. A day to pray, a day to revel in God's grace, and finally...at the end of that day - grace.
It was not a long response. But in the end...I called him friend, welcoming him back to our group of friends where Jesus' love and grace abounds. Friend...Because that's what Jesus did and that's what Jesus does. He welcomes us back. He calls us friend. He does it. Was I able to respond gracefully because I'm so great? No. It's only because of Jesus working in me. And that...is beautiful. Accepting God's grace is one thing. Giving it out is another.
