So, at some point today, it dawned on me that, as far as my relationship to myself is concerned, I have no idea what grace is. Like, no clue. Like, say "grace" to me, and you might as well be saying "sakjfh." In fact, I treat myself and go about each day as though I don't even believe in the existence of such a thing. And maybe I don't, really. I don't know.
You can see the problem.
I don't know what to do about this. Help me if you can. Because, dude, if there is such a thing, I think I need to figure it out and internalize it. Like, now. (C'mon, Amy. Off your rump and figure out grace!)
Sigh. At least I have irony down pat.
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11 comments:
You are so stinkin honest!
I'm not going to give you advise because I haven't figured it out myself, all I know is that my ways and thoughts aren't the same as God's and so I clearly have a distorted view of both grace and love. But when you can forgive and love someone who has hurt you terribly (like my oldest son -a while back), you get a slight idea of it. Let us know when you've learned more.
Well, who needs you to be perfect? You? God? Anyone?
"But as soon as they were at peace, your people again commited evil in your sight, and once more you let their enemies conquer them. YET, whenever your people turned and cried to you again for help, you listened once more from heaven. In your wonderful GRACE, you rescued them many times!"
Neh. 9:28..
I guess my view of grace is just that..His mercies never end. Do I completely grasp this concept? I think not, but I rest in it regardless. I enjoy reading your blog.:)
Sharon: I'll keep you posted. Don't hold your breath though.
Andy: What does being perfect have to do with grace?
Connie: Hi!! Thanks for reading my blog! I love yours too! So, how do you rest in it if you don't know what it means? (I'm not very good at resting either.) And how do you live your life in light of that knowledge? What does it look like?
HI back!:)
I guess thats where the scripture, "work out your own salvation" comes into play.
It is a process..always and forever. We will never " arrive" and understand God's grace fully until we live with him in eternity..at least that's what I think. I am not sure HOW I rest in it without understanding it..I guess it comes from being taught to just believe what God says, without question. I think maybe it's a day by day, sometimes moment by moment choice to allow God control of my life. I am not good at this, by any means,but it has been on my mind much in the last few months. ...WE should go for Coffee( or tea!:) sometime!
Okay, so, when you're folding your laundry or making your coffee, how are you working out your salvation? How do you know what God says? And do you honestly, I mean really honestly, view your relationship to him as being one of control/passivity? Or is there a dynamic exchange between you and God? How does that look when you pray?
Sure! I'd love to go for coffee or tea.
I came to read the responses, and to mark future ones to be sent to my email. I need to learn too, you see.
Okay, I take it you are searching to understand how one can glorify Almighty God while doing the mundane things of life...good question. One to which I don't have an answer.I will however say, I have been doing a study on Ecclesiastes and here is one of the verses that made me go HMMM.
Ecc. 2:24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasure are from the hand of God. For who can enjoy anything apart from him?
I am also searching for the same answers you are..so I am not sure I can answer the questions you are asking....
Here is what I'm searching for: I just realized the other night the abundance of the grace that surrounds me and how disconnected from it I feel and behave. My yoga teacher says that our practice is founded on an opening to grace, and I realized that my practice is based on the assumption of impending condemnation, from her, from the community in the room, and from myself. This broke my heart, because she is so astonishingly kind and loving to me, as are my classmates. My whole spiritual life (which, for me, is all of life) for some time has been founded on the assumption of impending condemnation. When I make each choice in pursuit of the holy order of things, I'm trying to make up for something. And I know that it's right and good to make each choice in pursuit of the holy order of things (for example, I buy fairly traded tea or none at all, because in the kingdom of God impoverished people aren't exploited by tea conglomerates, and so there is such a thing as a holy or unholy cup of tea), but it needs to be done in light of grace. I'm just trying to feel out how that is.
Yeah. I share similar feelings. At some point I realized that in my life I primarily viewed God as a judge who was keeping score. Grace was intellectualized for me, at least for the most part.
Most of us really don't understand grace, from my experience. So, join the club!
There's a club?? Please, let me in!
That's exactly it. Grace is an intellectual exercise and not the air I breathe.
Needless to say, I can't wait to read your book. If you need some sort of pre-pub reviewer ... ;)
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