Grace, as I See It

Grace is when I say “I am not worthy,” and all I hear is “but I count you worthy.”

Grace is when I say “I am a pathetic person,” and I hear “You should look at yourself through my eyes. I see you from the depths of yourself, I see you as you truly are—you are beautiful, you are whole, you are joy.”

Grace is when I say “I am so far from being the person I should be, the person I ought to be, the person I was meant to be,” and I hear “You are mine, you are all I need.”

Grace is when I say “but you don’t understand, I am most unlovable,” and I hear “I love you to your core. I count you most worthy of my love.”

Grace is when I say “you must have me mixed up with someone else who did something to rank high enough,” and yet I hear “I know who you are. There is no ranking with me. If there is any ranking then those who thought they were first on Earth will be last. And those who thought they would be last, in my Heavenly realm, they will be first in line.”

Grace is when I say “this just doesn’t make sense; I am unworthy, I am unlovable, I am the last one you should pay attention to or care about,” and I hear “You are my child; in you I am most pleased.”

Grace is nothing earned. Grace is something freely given. Grace doesn’t say, “I give this to you because you are worthy.” Grace is given when we see ourselves for who we really are, because at that moment, we need to realize we are in need of Grace.

Grace is the Lord Jesus stretching Himself as a tunnel from one hill to the other hill to be our way once and for all back to the relationship we so long desired with our Heavenly Father. Grace is our journey through Him to reach the other side to the Father. Grace is His hands outstretched and resting on our shoulders and saying “Welcome home.” Grace is His tears dropping on our shoulders as He says “I love you, my child.” Grace is the abundant peace we feel when we know we are finally in the relationship we have longed for. Grace is overflowing forgiveness which doesn’t keep a list of all things bad, all things wrong.

Grace is simple. Grace asks us to walk through life by walking through the very being of Christ. Grace asks us to see the world as the Father sees the world—to decide the Father’s pair of glasses fit us better than our own. Grace asks us to reach out to a world who feels so unloved and to love each other as much as Jesus loved us. Jesus was willing to give up all things “Heavenly” to live everything “Earthly” and to suffer, die and give grace to those who put Him on the cross.

Grace redeems. Grace makes whole what was broken.

We have such a problem with grace in our society. We can’t go out and purchase it at our local convenience store. We can’t say to the cashier “I am in great need of some grace today, please give me three—how much?” Grace is free. Grace is found in relationship.

Grace says “I don’t care about your past; I care about the way you are going to spend your future.” Grace says “I accept every last atom of you as precious and I long for you to see YOU as I see you.” Grace says “I finally can be with you where you are, because once and for all there has been a sacrifice beyond sacrifices, so that you and I can be together.” Grace is the great mystery of an all-consuming, all-powerful, all-knowing and all-faithful love that will never leave us nor forsake us.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”