If you have kids, you may already know the painstaking agony of searching for lost things. As a parent I am constantly playing detective to locate that lost shoe, mitten, sweatshirt, or new favorite stuffy that bedtime cannot just happen without.
Usually this game of hide and seek feels more like I am on the TV gameshow "Supermarket Sweep" where you are frantically looking for the item while being timed. You must find the missing item before the clock runs out (aka the school bus arrives, we are already ten minutes late for soccer practice, or bedtime was already an hour ago).
The grown up rounds of this game are just as entertaining- like tracking down your AirPods (are they in the car? my desk? my desk at the office?), or that one lonely sock in the clean laundry basket that doesn't have its match (I swear lost socks are reincarnated as Tupperware lids), or finding that document you thought you sent to your boss in an email last week (oops- looks like its still in my drafts folder).
Losing stuff can drive us bonkers and make us feel crazy at times. At some point we have to laugh at ourselves and this wacky world we are living in. We eventually learn to give others grace. Our kids are not perfect, our family surely isn't perfect, and nope our co-workers and bosses are not perfect either. But before we can give out that grace, we must first be willing to receive it ourselves.
So what exactly is grace and where does it come from?
The merriam-webster dictionary defines "grace" as:
-unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification
-a virtue coming from God
-a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance
In my own words, grace is the ability to forgive others when they have done something wrong and to then also help them right that wrong with zero expectation of repayment or accolades. Extending grace to your toddler might look like cleaning up cheerios off the floor for the hundredth time, even after you have told them a million times not to throw their food. Extending grace to a family member, co-worker, or friend might mean helping them finish a task or project that has gone haywire due to their lack of planning, time management skills, knowledge, or ability to ask for help in the first place.
As for where grace comes from, I have just one name for you: Jesus!
It is by Jesus's death and resurrection that we are able to receive this grace among other things (freedom, love, joy, peace, kindness, forgiveness, eternal life in heaven, and the list goes on). We have done nothing to earn this grace and there is nothing we can do to ever earn any of it. Even on our very best days (e.g. you sold all your stuff, gave all the money to the poor, and became a full time missionary) you will still fall short of earning God's grace. Romans 3:23-24 says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus".
We are all human, which means we are filled with human qualities that naturally requires this daily dose of grace to be poured over us. Hello toddler temper tantrums, forgetting to sign your child's permission slip, loosing your cool when someone cuts you off on the highway, and whining about your finances while in the Starbucks drive thru.
So now that we understand where our grace comes from, how do we get more of it?
How do we get to a point where we feel like grace is overflowing in our lives so we can extend it to others? I am envisioning grace being poured into our lives like warm Aunt Jemima maple syrup on a fresh stack of golden, buttery, fluffy pancakes.
Now I am not talking about an adult pouring the Aunt Jemima on that stack of flap jacks all prim and proper... I am talking about letting your four year old grab the reigns on that maple syrup bottle and going to town on that stack of flap jacks. Those pancakes are now swimming in a pool of Aunt Jemima like a flamingo pool float in the lake on a hot July day. Let's get that kind of grace over our lives!
1. Remember grace is not earned. Sometimes we get it twisted that we are in charge of everything in our own lives and therefore are responsible for it all too. In this hustle and bustle we can often feel it us our duty, responsibility, and dare I say job to strive for perfection. We don't have to be perfect to earn God's Grace - only willing.
2. Ask and you shall receive. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." God wants us to have a relationship with him, to talk to him, and for us to ask him for what we need - whether it be more grace, more peace, more joy, or more hope.
3. Forgive others more and forgive yourself even more. Easier said than done I know. This comes down to trusting that God is fair, the He get's the final say, and that He is in charge of all retribution. Matthew 6:14 says "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you". If we can get to a place where we can constantly forgive ourselves and others too, God's grace will overflow in our lives.
4. Praise! Thank God for who he is, what he has already done, and what he will do in your life. You can do this a number of ways: singing, dancing, playing music, painting a picture, or writing a note of all the things you are thankful for. Praise is personal expression and should feel somewhat natural to you. Receiving the goodness of God and the love of God will make it easier to receive the grace of God too!
5. Give Grace Always. If you want more of something in your life, you are going to have to give it away. If you want more grace, you are going to have to give more grace. Extend grace to others, even when they do not deserve it. Extend grace to others, even when you feel ill equipped. Extend grace to others, even when it is inconvenient or you don't have the time. Extend grace to others, even if they are your enemy or foe. Extend grace to others, always! When we choose grace, we allow God to shine in us and through us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me" - 2 Corinthians 12:9.
I leave you with one of my favorite vacation stories. My husband and I were in Oceanside California for a friend's wedding in October a few years back. While on vacation, my husband fell ill to some bad Mexican cuisine. Cue a trip to the local Walmart for some good ole Pepto-Bismol.
While in the shopping isle a sweet, frail, gray-haired lady approaches my husband and I. She says "Excuse me, but have you found Jesus?". I bite my tongue and politely say "Yes we have, thank you" and she smiles and walks away. What I was actually thinking in the moment was more to the sarcastic tune of "Wait! What? I didn't know Jesus was lost! Let me help you find him. I think I saw him over in the sporting goods section looking at fishing poles". Hahaha!
But for real people... Jesus is never lost! Jesus comes to us, we don't need to find him. In all reality it is US who are lost. Let's extend some grace to one another as we help each other out of the wilderness, those dark valleys, trenches, and stinky pits of life. Good grace to you and yours!
"Swing wide all you heavens
Let the praise go up as the walls come down
All creation, everything with breath repeat the sound
All His children, clean hands, pure hearts, good grace
Good God
His Name is Jesus"
- Good Grace by Hillsong United