by Erin McNeely
If you are anything like me then there are times that God has to teach you the same lesson not once, not twice, but again and again. (And again and again and again.) Lately, it’s been the all too familiar lesson about His Grace and how my human nature tries so hard to earn it rather than simply accept it.
We live in a world that glorifies hard work and striving. We are rewarded when we do well and reap the consequences when we fail. We are pushed harder and harder to be productive, successful and celebrated. Our culture says, “performance for acceptance,” but what I am realizing is that we are so conditioned by the conditional love of the world that we cannot fathom the fact that God loves us regardless…
But the truth is, His grace is unconditional. It says, “I love you, period.” Our nature wants to say, “Grace, but…” Yet there is no “but!” It’s just grace, period. It is undeserved, unmerited, unconditional grace.
When we live under the “performance for acceptance” mindset we will never fully feel true love and true grace, because no matter how well we perform we will always fall short of the glory of God. But God tells us it’s okay. He uses the weak. He loves us regardless. His grace is ours for the taking, there is no “but,” there is no condition. Let that wash over you.
Grace, period.
Love, period.
God loves us as we are, not as we think that we should be. Let us rest in that truth.
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
