How Does Grace Work?
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:16
Just after my world fell apart, after my bad choices were exposed, I couldn’t escape it anywhere. I was walking through the grocery store one day and encountered a woman from my church on the same aisle. Before everything was exposed and I became a spectacle in the eyes of many, this woman would have said hello and chatted for a few minutes. This day was different; she saw me and immediately turned around and went to another aisle without even a smile or a hello. I was shattered. I was convinced I would be treated this way forever and that my life was over.
At this point, sleep was my only reprieve. Yet, it was the hardest thing to attain because the thoughts, the worries, and the shame got much louder in the silence of the night. Especially on days like this, where I’d come face to face with the reality that I’d hurt a lot of people and some couldn’t bear the idea of even saying hello to me.
I would lay in the bed just begging the Lord to help me fall asleep because for just a little bit the pain wouldn’t be there, the shame wouldn’t be there and I could simply be unaware of everything crumbling around me. Then, I’d wake up and it was all still there. Oftentimes, I’d immediately calculate in my head how long it was until I could go back to sleep to escape the reality I was living in.
The very next day after my encounter at the grocery store, another woman from church came to my home and continually rang my doorbell until I would come to the door, knowing I was inside. Maybe that sounds like a crazy person to you but for me it was a whisper of grace. You see, I was convinced this person just wanted to tell me how horrible I was but when I finally opened the door, she walked into my foyer and brought me in for a hug like I’d never felt before. I began to sob as she hugged me. For what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, she didn't let go. She simply held me, embraced me, and loved me.
Friend, that is the Gospel. That is grace. That is Jesus.
Our good God gives us grace for today. It isn’t just a little grace, it is all that you need for every hour, every minute, every second. Part of the beauty of redemption is that He pours out grace even in the midst of our consequences. In the midst of the fight of our lives, His gifts of grace are a balm to our soul. Does this even make sense? No, it doesn’t. Most often when we see God working, it doesn’t make sense because it isn’t the way of the world, it is the way of the Kingdom.
I don’t know which side you find yourself on today; whether it is the one enveloped in shame or the one that the Holy Spirit is asking to be someone's grace for today, but either side, know that God is working and you are part of His plan.
To the one who is suffering in shame today. Don’t suffer another second. Shame is not of Jesus, it is of the evil enemy. Don’t let him steal one more minute of your life. Whatever mess you find yourself in, lean into the arms of our Redeemer who wants to restore you. Right now, He is gazing at the beauty in you that He will heal and raise up from the dust. Open your eyes to His whispers of grace that are often through His people but always through His Word.
To the one who is sensing the Holy Spirit right now asking you to reach out to the hurting one; do it. Simply do it. You are the conduit of grace that someone needs this very minute. Don’t ignore the Holy Spirit, He wants to use you for someone’s good and for His glory. Let Him use you.
Grace, a word that holds many definitions, but the way I see it:
Grace is an action of our God, that is reflected in so many ways, but the grace of Jesus is most beautifully lived out through His people in the hardest spaces.
Practice Because We’re Imperfect
1) Listen to the song “Until Grace” by Tauren Wells
2) Read “The Comeback” by Louie Giglio
