#amazingGrace

So, there's this thing called Grace. 

There's also this person called Grace. 

Let me tell you about her first. 

I had my first encounter with Grace when she made a very grand entrance into my life by pushing her way out of my mother's body. Why she insisted on us meeting this way? I'll never know. She claims she "had no choice," but I'm pretty sure she could have just called a cab. 

After making my mom feel super uncomfortable and awkward, she started sleeping at our house a lot - like EVERY NIGHT. And my parents must have felt sorry for her because they kept feeding her all my food. But get this - homegirl refused to bathe herself or talk in complete sentences, too - high maintenance much? Eventually, after 15 years of photo bombing all our family pictures, not even offering to sleep somewhere other than the room next to me, and changing her last name to mine, I began to accept the fact that she was probably going to be around forever. 

I say all of this because there are a few things you have to understand about living with Grace: 

1. The presence of Grace in my life was undeniable. For an entire semester of my Senior year of high school I awoke to the sounds of "Get Buck In Here" blasting from her room. You couldn't doubt the fact that she was there. 

2.Grace demanded and commanded my attention. She never let me get away with not acknowledging her. If she wanted me to see something, she stood right in front of me and yelled my name until I finally gave her my full, undivided attention. She refused to be ignored. 

3.Grace was incredibly forgiving and understanding. Despite my multiple and elaborate attempts to get rid of her - one including a pair of handcuffs and an incredibly heavy office chair - she would still smile and simply say, "It's okay." I could never win. 

So, why tell you all about this loud stranger that overtook my life? Because of that thing called grace. 

Them Romans be saying' this - "All are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is provided in Christ Jesus." - Romans 3:24

As it turns out, what had happened was this - That person called Grace taught me everything I needed to know about that thing called grace. 

Here are the things you have to understand about living IN God's grace: 

1. The presence of grace in our lives is undeniable. It's there to wake you up every single morning. It's loud, and it makes sure you know it's right there with you. 

2. It demands and commands our attention. Grace will stand in front you, yelling your name, until you acknowledge its existence. When grace has something for you to understand from the Lord, there's no ignoring it or pushing it aside. It. Is. Unwavering. 

3. Grace, in itself, is incredibly forgiving and understanding. Despite our every attempt to push grace out of our lives, to do everything within our power to convince it that we don't deserve to be forgiven, it simply responds with a sweet "It's okay. I know your heart." Grace never let's us win, because grace is incapable of losing. 

I didn't ask for Grace to come into my life. I had no say in the matter. She just showed up and took up her rightful place. 

And I'll tell you this - We didn't ask for God's grace in our lives, but I'm realizing now that we have no say in that matter. It's simply taking its rightful place. 

All I know is that while there are times when I feel completely undeserving of both Graces in my life - I know that I couldn't make it a single day without them. 

Kbye.

#amazingGrace