Dear Saints,
What’s your gift of grace? We use that word around here a lot: grace. And it can mean so many things. Grace can refer to beauty and poise; grace can mean unmerited mercy; it can also describe how we pass on God’s love to others. The beauty of the gift of grace is that it’s not one-size-fits-all. The lavish and unmerited love of God is poured out one each of us exactly in the way we need it. So when you step back and consider your own needs, what is the gift of grace for you?
Grace is beauty. When we find ourselves in an ugly place in life, God’s grace may come to us in the surprising glimpses of beauty that lift us up and carry us forward. We may see it in the smile of a precious child, a visit from a bird on the windowsill, or in a rainbow, the sign of God’s steadfast love. For those of us who are wading through the muck and the mire of life, our gift of grace may be the breath of fresh air we need from the Spirit to keep one foot in front of the other.
Grace is mercy. When we find ourselves disappointed with the reflection looking back from the mirror, God’s grace may come to us in the balm of forgiveness. When we don’t live up to the standard we set for ourselves, or perhaps the standard God has set for us, grace is God’s open arms, ready to receive his prodigal children back home. As baptized children of God, there is no limit to how many times we can ask for God’s mercy. And as a loving father, there is no limit to the mercy God will lavish on us.
Grace is strength. When we find ourselves at our wit’s end, fatigued, spent, God’s grace is the peace and power that surpasses human understanding. When we have given all we have to give, when the world has knocked us down, or when our body has betrayed us with illness or decline, grace comes as surrender. When we surrender to the God of power and might, we give over to him what we can no longer carry. Instead of our own strength, we rely on his. Instead of our own resources, we trust in him. There are times when we just can’t do it anymore; but the good news is that God can. And God will.
In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul gives thanks for the grace given to his siblings in Christ. He gives thanks because that grace will be their balm. He gives thanks because that grace will be their strength. And he gives thanks because through the gift of that grace, believers are empowered to extend that grace to others. We who have received what John calls “grace upon grace” are freed by that gift to live out grace for others. Open yourself to the gift of grace, so that God may use you as a vessel to take it to the world.
+ Pastor Ginger +