“Grace has to be the loveliest word in the English language. It embodies almost every attractive quality we hope to find in others. Grace is a gift of the humble to the humiliated. Grace acknowledges the ugliness of sin by choosing to see beyond it. Grace accepts a person as someone worthy of kindness despite whatever grime or hard-shell casing keeps him or her separated from the rest of the world. Grace is a gift of tender mercy when it makes the least sense.”
― Charles R. Swindoll

I remember it like yesterday feeling the cold floor on my knees as sob after sob racked my weak frame.  It’s uncomfortable to share our shortcomings but in this moment I understood why I needed a savior.  I may have accepted Jesus into my heart but that didn’t mean i’d ever accepted His grace.  I had stayed in bounds except for a few minor sins here and there or so I believed.  But it was when I stepped far out that I understood how Grace was also for me.

Grace became a form of life support.
Without it, i’d still have sore knees with tear-stained cheeks, left with no hope.

There is a sense of freedom apart from God.  No boundaries, believing what we decide to be true and choosing to live however we please depending on what feels right.
We all have lacked fear of God.
Growing up I was dearly loved by my father.  He always provided a safe home and took care of me.  But when I tested boundaries throughout the years He was there with a firm voice to say, ‘That’s far enough’.  I had a healthy fear or reverence for my Father.  He knew what was best for me and even though I complained that some of his rules were unfair I always knew He had my best at heart.

God is the authority and I respect the boundaries He set up.  For our own protection because He loves us.

We’ve each chosen to disobey God and at some point (maybe even now) we are the one desperate to be saved from that emptiness caused by sin. Kneeling on a cold floor in need of a grace that saves.

Join me for part two this coming Tuesday!
Laura