Grace looks at my faults and weaknesses and sees not failure, but potential. Grace sees not what I lack, but the places where God’s power can fill in and shine forth most brightly.

Grace never quits offering a hand to pick me up when I’ve fallen. Grace never stops believing in me, even when I’ve stopped believing in myself.

Grace shows up in the small acts of kindness from my family, in the encouraging texts from my friends, in the breeze that warms my heart in the middle of winter and reminds me of a spring still to come.

Grace is knowing I am secure in my Savior’s love and I can’t mess that up, no matter how hard I try. Grace is believing that Jesus really does love me, not in a proper religious way, but in a wild, crazy, passionate way. He delights in me.

Grace means there is never an end to second chances and new beginnings. Grace means that one I’ve forgiven someone 70 times 7, I’ve only just started to learn what it means. Grace means that that my family and friends forgive me, often before I even ask or know I need forgiveness.

Grace is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary, between good and awesome. Grace is all that I never thought could happen to me and what I never dreamed I could be coming true. Grace is all those lies I believed for so long being shown as the lies they are and losing their power over me.

Grace is so antithetical to and opposite of everything the media and society sells and preaches. So much so that if I live by grace I will be a radical in their eyes. If I really align my life with grace, there’s no way that the world can look at my life and not be forced to choose one way or another about who Jesus is.

Grace means that the Kingdom is breaking through, that Jesus has already won, that I am exactly as righteous and holy as God says I am. Grace means that I walk in a victory that is mine now.

Grace means so much more. An eternity will only touch the surface of all grace means. But I know that grace is mine.

Amen and amen.