Understanding Grace

For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (John 1:16 ESV)

My four-year-old daughter adores all things sparkly. Like her mama, jewels catch her eye and awaken her senses. Any chance she has, she will reach for my jewelry, carefully adorn her body, and twirl around like the beautiful princess she is.

On several occasions, my wedding ring has gone missing. Every time, I’d search for it, questioning my three children about its whereabouts. Every time, I knew what had probably happened. But I also knew my girl had a conscience that would refuse to let her linger in guilt too long.

She always confessed to hiding it—usually under her pillow.

The short-lived mysteries of my missing ring lead to many conversations about why it’s important to me. My explanation sounds like this: “I do love my ring. It is valuable and precious to me. But only because of what it represents. It was a gift to me from daddy. He loves me so much that he gave me something precious only he would get to put on my finger. And so I wear it every day to show the world I received his gift and that I am daddy’s forever.”

That sounds a lot like grace, doesn’t it? Grace is often defined as the unmerited favor of God toward man. It is a priceless, undeserved gift to be received.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…

Our senses can understand grace before our apprehensive hearts even know how to receive it. The sound of spring birds chirping. The smell of freshly cut grass. The touch of a loved one’s hand. Relief from pain.

But our senses can only reach so deep. At some point, our hearts need to accept this holy gift and hide it safely in the unseen places of our souls.

The truth is, I need more grace than anyone I know. My messy heart and tendency to fall over myself in sin lend themselves kindly to God’s never-ending grace. My need never ends. His giving never stops.

That saved a wretch like me…

I often wrestle with giving grace because I can misunderstand the receiving of grace.

Grace is a gift, yes. But it is a costly gift. It was intended to be the cover-all of our sin, not the cover-up for our sin. In order to fully receive grace, we must admit our need for it. Because grace does not excuse sin, it redeems it.

 If I’m not careful, I will unintentionally use grace as a sort of watered down excuse not to repent or even an excuse not to face difficult situations. God will stir something within me, but I suppress it, all the while claiming grace over my sin when I really just want to feel better about my poor choices.

Grace is not intended to simply make us more comfortable.

The very nature of grace is that it is rooted in Jesus’ sacrifice. He left his heavenly seat next to God himself, his Father, so that he could be with us on earth. After accomplishing his goal of loving the world that rejected him, he died a gruesome death.

Then, he rose again and ascended to his rightful place in heaven. And with his rising came the rising of grace to be poured out for all eternity. For you. And for me.

We can’t choose grace on some days but reject it on other days. Godly grace doesn’t choose a who or a why or a when.

I once was lost but now am found…

Grace is really less about us and more about Jesus. His goodness. His love. Him giving himself to us, for us. He will always, always draw us closer to him.

As the Holy Spirit leads your heart onward, he will first lead it upward, guiding you to receive grace upon grace so that you can pour it out in many different forms. Grace can look like speaking the truth in love. Grace can even be painful confrontation or saying no when you want to say yes.

It’s a wonder how God loves us. He’s patient with us even as we wrestle with how to receive the greatest gift he’s ever given.

…was blind but now I see.

Sisters, you are covered in the grace of Jesus because he loves you. Period.

In order to fully receive this priceless gift, may we be the kind of women who deem grace costly and holy, so that we can receive it fully and give it wholly. Not using it as a shield or an excuse. Not holding it back when it feels too difficult to give. Wearing it as proudly as we wear our wedding rings. Proclaiming that the costly gift we’ve been given could only have come from God, a gift that is meant to be shown to the world, as he intended.

Chelsia Checkal is an unashamed dreamer living on grace. A recovering legalist erring on the side of love. A coffee indulger who’d delight in meeting you at a quaint cafe to talk real-life. A messy mom, wife, and free-spirited Jesus girl whose life sings a story of redemption, freedom and hope. Chelsia blogs at movewithhim.blogspot.com.