I made a goal over the summer: write down 5 things every day that I'm thankful for. Sounds like a kindergarten exercise, I know, but it kind of keeps things in perspective.
Some things from my lists so far:
-good conversations with my mom
-porch swings on summer nights
-meeting new people
-action movies
-good shows like Friday Night Lights
-aloe vera after bad sunburns
-the ranch
-trying to learn to cook
-still having five toes (that was after dropping a knife on the floor on one of those nights I was learning how to cook)
-Austin, TX
-the feeling after a really hard work out
-being silly
-reading
-little kids
These are just a few....but the ones that have made the lists multiple times are: 1. friends 2. God's grace
I have been thinking a lot about God's grace this summer. And I have decided that it is the most unconventional, crazy, counter-cultural, idea....and it is incredibly hard to receive it in the way that God truly wants us to receive it.
I am realizing that I have a hard time receiving things for free. We are told that "nothing is free in life" and it isn't--this is true. I think we even view relationships this way. You give something to get something. It is a two-way street. Growing up, even when you were "given" your allowance, you behaved in some way in order to earn it. You earn your reputation. You earn your job, your status, money for a new car...I think we mentally put a price tag on everything.
And then there's God over here offering His FREE grace, and I don't know how to take it. I don't know if yall can relate. I will receive it after I put myself down in my head enough to think that I've "felt guilty" enough to deserve His grace. I will receive it after I promise God not to mess up like that again, or (embarassingly) even that I will do ___ to make up for it. I will receive it when I feel like I'm far away enough from my sin to talk about it in the past tense.
But that is not the way God intended it. I cannot earn it, can't make up for it, can't wait for it...
God wants to give us His grace now.
Rest in that today.
Rest in His grace, sink into it. Enjoy it. Receive His love as a free gift, just as He intended.
He Is Jealous for Me. (heard it and thought of you)
ReplyDeleteWhy do we feel like we need to earn God's grace? I have felt that for so long and continue to struggle with that daily even though God revealed this to me years ago. I try to make up for what i did by doing good things (so that is not embarrassing because many of us do it). I realized that i missed the WHOLE point. Why he died and bled for me FREELY! He could have come down off that cross, he could have killed all those soldiers who nailed Him there. But did he? no! He decided to SEPERATE himself from his Daddy so that i may be free! Free from death! And then rose again that i may have a daily hope to one day see him face to face. But we are now better off because we have him INSIDE of us. How often we forget that we have it better> the power of God's spirit in INSIDE of us. So all of this to say.... he freely died for me. I don't deserve it, but he offers the gift and all we have to do in response is believe. Yes it is that easy Crazy! Thanks for opening up my eyes and letting me write down my thoughts to dix!
"No power of hell or scheme of man can EVER pluck me from his hand" What an amazing truth that we get to live with!