Grace

Most religious words have lost their power. People just aren’t that interested in them anymore. But one word that still carries a tremendous amount of weight after being tossed around century after century. Grace. Even derivatives like gracious and graceful still hold a bit of magic. Grace is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it, deserve it, or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of your favorite cocktail, your good looks, or your own existence.

Watching your kids excel is grace. A good night’s sleep is grace. So are good dreams. Joy is grace. Most tears are grace. The smell of a rose or rain? Grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to really love someone?

One of the most radical ideas in Christianity is that people are saved by grace. There’s nothing YOU have to do. There is nothing you HAVE to do. There is nothing you have to DO.

One of my favorite authors, Frederich Beauchner, says it this way: “The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.”

Like any gift, grace only becomes yours if you’re willing to reach out and take it.

And maybe, just maybe, being able to reach out and accept it is also a gift.

We need you at the party. Your life is a gift.

Dig deep…keep going.