What's Grace?

People sing about it...

I have a tattoo on my chest that celebrates my fall into it.

Michelle and I were beginning to start a church for people in recovery named "Gracefall."

That's all great... what's it mean?

An over simplistic definition of grace is: "getting better than you deserve." People ask me every day, "How ya doin'?" and I respond, "Better than I deserve...better than I deserve."

My life's journey blessed me to live in a rehab house for 35 days where even the drug addicts across the street looked down their noses at the fourteen of us. We were the real sicko's... You can talk about alcoholism and AA in a grocery store and people will look at you and give an encouraging word. Not so with my disease.

These days it is easy to forget, I'm one of the untouchables. Everyday I get more than I deserve. I don't deserve my life; all I've been given. I don't deserve any of it. Every single breath is a gift.

Every computer glitch is an opportunity to trust or get angry. Every idiotic driver is a blessing and gives me the chance to live in grace or under law. Every act of thoughtless act of selfishness by my children is an opportunity to give what I've been given rather than satisfy justice. Every disappointed sigh from my wife gives me the chance to move toward her rather than back away. Every time one of my bosses lies to me (a daily occurrence in the car business -- they don't call it lying) gives an opportunity to offer loving truth in return. Ever time a customer lets me down (if we treated customers the way they treat us, we'd be out of business in two weeks) I have an opportunity to spew hate or offer love. I choose love, because love chose me first.

Sometimes I live in grace. Sometimes I want justice. I flip flop doing both. I want to live in grace. Because I know I if I got what I deserved it wouldn't be a pretty picture. I know what's on the inside of me. I know what Jesus has to look at every day, and I know he loves me anyway. I want to give that grace away.

I've been loved much and so I want to love much. I receive so much grace everyday, why wouldn't I want to give it away? I don't do it well... This I know. If I did, I wouldn't need as much grace as I do...

 

Comments

[www.bookcrossing.Com]

Hi there! I just wish to give you a big thumbs up for your great information you've got here on this post. I am coming back to your website for more soon.

[storage]

I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!