"I will hold myself to standard of GRACE not perfection."
- Emily Ley
What would it look like for you to lay down at night without the list of what you did and did not do? What would it feel like to instead lay down into the depths of the perfectly fresh, daily new, gift of grace? Not a grace that your grandma gives you with a sly "Bless your heart dear" attached. The grace of just truly believing you did enough and you are enough. You close your eyes as you wrap the blanket of peace around your poured out soul. And you rest. You truly rest.
Grace can't be earned.
If it were to be earned, it wouldn't be called grace. Grace is defined as unmerited favor. You didn't do anything to deserve it or receive it, it just is. God gives us grace and calls us to give it to others.
God has a quality to Him that is unlike any human can fully comprehend. His heart desires to give to those who hate Him. He pursues the unloving and the unlovely. He reaches out for the hurting and the hurtful. He gives free gifts to the guilty and the sinful, and there are no strings attached for the receiving and humble hand.
Something I struggle with is my tendency to hold onto shame of my past sins. Almost like a balm to a wound I created. I feel that if I fully release it, then I'm not truly sorry. But, I am. So I tend to white knuckle grip onto my past as an excuse for negative events in my life. I'm a work in progress, and I catch myself doing this quicker than before, but it is still my struggle. Through this though, I have realized that by holding onto shame, I am throwing away grace. I cannot simultaneously hold shame and grace. They are water and oil. Grace cannot be earned, but it does have to be willingly received, and to receive it, we have to let go of our desire to somehow earn in.
Grace is a superpower for us.
The character of God oozes grace. By receiving the Holy Spirit, we have this power in us to give grace.
1 Corinthians 15:10 says, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
To give grace, you will look a bit odd at times. Your ways will stand out and it may appear that you enjoy being taken advantage of. But, that isn't it. You can love the unlovable in your lives because the love you give wasn't created and will not be regenerated by you. You aren't pouring out from a vessel that empties. You are a water hose of grace, coming from the well of Christ's love that doesn't run dry.
Grace doesn't deplete you, it should fill you.
"When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." -Psalm 61:2
Oh how I love this verse. It may be my favorite. My red flag for not tapping into Gods reservoir of grace and strength for my life is the feeling of overwhelmed. Some people function so well with a tad bit of pressure and overwhelm behind them. Me, not so much. When my heart gets overwhelmed, I quickly shut down or lose my cool (If there ever was a cool). As Jesus has patiently pursued my heart, He has taught me that my "overwhelm" is my red flag for digging into my own self for everything I need to accomplish all that I need to. I quickly forget the strength and grace that is available through the God who created me to need Him.
So, I pause. I breathe. I reflect on what I am doing and if indeed He has asked me to do it. If not, I can lay it down. If yes, I have to literally open my palms to receive His grace as a reminder that His grace really is sufficient for even me. Even today. Even to accomplish this thing.
To live a life holding myself to a standard of grace is freeing to say the least. It is simplifying. It is peaceful and it is not a struggle. It is living in the current of the river of life instead of trying to fight it. Not to say that rocks and barges will not come along this path, but a standard of grace allows for hard things and empowers you when they arrive.
This is wildly different from the cultural manifest of living for perfection. We can't even live up to our own standard of beauty with all of the filters used on social media posts. We live in a constant state of failure and striving. More striving, more failure, more trying. It doesn't end because there is always more and there will always be more. But it isn't what God is asking of you sister. Lets lay down perfection. Lets squash its ugly head for the lie that it is.
Lets breathe in grace, use it for the superpower that it is, and walk free. One moment at a time.
What does it look like for you to release perfection today?
Share with me how you will change your perspective to one filled with grace. What is your first step?
Thank you for being here with me. You encourage me.
Love,
Jessica
Think of the grace we give to children...
You are God's child...
You are the son or daughter of the most high King...
His grace is for you...
His grace is within you. (This last one is in hopes of a giggle!)
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