Grace Eddies
Grace eddies. It swirls. It makes all the difference. It changes everything. I know because I experience it constantly. I am reminded repeatedly how hints of grace keep showing up in surprising places daily. The intellectual knowledge of grace is not enough once a person has experienced the practical reality of a life shaped by its power on a daily basis.
Grace often is misunderstood because it has so many meanings. We use it to mean forgiveness or kindness. We use it to describe a short prayer at mealtime. We name people Grace. We even use the word to describe elegant movement. Grace is a unique Bible word that can mean favor, the gifts given by Christ, and the general working of God in the lives of His creation as sin is restrained and blessings are bestowed. Primarily grace is God’s free, sovereign, undeserved favor. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
And yet there are also so many things about grace that I do not understand and perhaps I never will. That is probably because that is the random nature of it and, also, because it is a huge part of the divine nature of a good and gracious God who I also will never understand. No one deserves grace, but I don’t understand why some of us seem to get more of it than others. I continue to cling to the possibility that grace actually shows up everywhere and for everyone, in the hardest seasons of life and the best ones, too. It is my best hope that grace swirls around us and it is just a matter of noticing it.
Grace is something we all need. We need a lot of things but sometimes I think we need grace the most! When I watch the ocean waves it is easy to see how consistent and constant they are. The waves of the ocean can reflect truth about God’s grace. Just as the oceans splashes upon the shore with wave upon wave, so out of God’s fullness He sends grace upon grace over our relationships. His grace never stops in our lives but is truly sufficient for each moment. We were made for relationships, and we are to love one another but sometimes it is grace alone that keeps us loving others. God’s grace accomplishes what God intends. Just like the waves of blessing and grace that carries humanity through life’s various seasons, grace flows all around us, grace upon grace, and sometimes we pay attention.
Even though grace is a noun, it is not a thing. It isn’t something we get from God separate from Himself. Grace is not just a good gift given by God; He is the gift. God graces us with himself. He is the undeserved gift of grace. Wow! The word “Grace” is mentioned 128 times in the New Testament;126 times it is referenced as something GOD is, gives and does. John 1:17 declares,
“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Notice that Grace came through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, God’s Grace is The Lord Jesus Christ Himself! Now that is amazing!