I guess both the wonder and challenge wrapped up within Grace
is that we have to accept it isn’t synonymous with our success
or hinged upon a favour we only receive in return for doing something
exceptionally, or beautifully.
In a sense, Grace wills us to move and do and be – even when it knows we will fail.
In love, it draws us face to face with the thing that scares us. Or the thing that embarrasses us. Or the thing that causes us (and maybe others) to like ourselves less.
If we accept Grace, we aren’t accepting a reward for something we achieved – we are accepting or receiving a love that is unmerited –
we are accepting love where our performance falls short, rather than only where we made a favourable impression.
While we hold ourselves to standards we can’t always meet,
Grace holds us to love.
It is really, really good news that this Grace exists.
Because it gives us the courage to move again after we fail –
but it also gives us the courage to move before we know whether we will ‘make it’
or not.
It makes moving and doing less risky.
Because its standard lies not within success,
it’s not always easy news to accept before we decide to move and do
– but it is precisely that
that makes it just as much wonder as it does challenge.
In accepting Grace, we are accepting that stood beneath the light we hold countless fractures,
but,
like water to a crack in the pavement,
it is to our soul-fractures,
rather than our perfection,
that this Grace,
this unmerited love,
most wants to flow
to mend
to heal
to hold
to love.
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“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s Gods gift from start to finish.” Eph 2:7-10 MSG
anne-marie elizabeth 