Grace

Grace. Such an easy word to say. However the execution of this is so much harder. I have been mulling over this for some time. "You need to have grace with so and so." "God's grace is enough." So true but so cliche. Yes, grace is good. Absolutely. It is mandatory. God gave us so much grace, but I have been thinking about how to have grace. What does grace look like? Can I even have grace if I am doubting God's grace for me? I can honestly say I thank God every day He gives me grace, because He and along with people around me, know I need his unending grace every.single.day.

I have been struggling to see God's grace in my life. Examples? My sister left for college. That's always diffucult seeing my best friend move away and not seeing her for 5 months. Some of my best friends are off to college. Never easy saying goodbye to dear friends that encourage you and make you grow in the Lord. Another example? My best friends are struggling with very serious health problems. Receiving text messages about possibly needing to go to the ER at 11:30 at night, hearing the test results after another long day at the hospital were inconclusive without any real conclusions or answers. The pain of seeing the effect of the medical problems beginning physically, emotionally, mentally, and sprititually to weigh on my friends. Another example? Looking at this packed college semester and trying to find the light at the end of the 15 week tunnel.

There are many more things I could list when I think about where I see God "failing" to give me grace. Then I look in His Word. And these are the verses I find.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Oh. God does care. His grace is sufficient. How could I be doubting this? He specifically tells me his grace is enough. He knows what is going on with my friends' health. He is the Great Physician. Who am I to doubt his grace? Then I see this verse.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Ah yes. Wait. He carried MY cross. He carried MY sin. He can and will carry MY burdens and these burdens I have I give over to him and they become HIS so that I am wonderfully FREE of it. He promises rest. He promises to become my crutch to lean on and put all my weight on. How much grace is that? And I see this verse.

"We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Ah, that wonderful love. No matter what you do, HE LOVED you first. He did. He loved YOU so much he sent his son to DIE for YOU! How powerful. What sacrifice. What love. What grace. We sin over and over and over again. A lot of the times, it is the same sin over and over again. He does not shake his head and say, "They will never learn." No. He says, "Love one another as I have loved you." I see this verse.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them...And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1

He made us in HIS image. What an incredible image to be made after. He said it was very good. That means he made no mistakes. He loved what he saw. He made us good. To assume he made a mistake, or is not capable of keeping his commandments, or he is messing our lives up, is a serious  underestimation we are making of our Savior and Creator. Our Creator loves us. He said we are very good. How incredible. How encouraging.

So as I look at these verses and I see God's grace as he is the Great Physician and knows what is happening to my friends, as I miss my sister and friends, he is the Great Comforter. As I am overwhelmed by school, He reminds me that He is my ox, my crutch, my strenthener. So as I wonder where is this grace, all I have to do is look in my life and I see His grace brushes every single aspect of my life. I can only hope that I can as accurately portray grace to others as magnificently as God has shown me grace.