1 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NIV)
Enough is enough. Yes? Sometimes? Never? I often wonder if, as a Christian, I have enough of what it takes. Especially grace. Why? Probably because of its definition in our Christian belief: free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. In other words, God’s love and His mercy He gives to us because He wants us to have it. Not because of anything we’ve ever done to deserve it.
Do you know if you have enough resources to deal with what you have to deal with on a daily basis? There are times when I feel I just don’t know if I’m enough. Sadly, my inadequacies can overwhelm me.
Remember the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live? What a hoot. The character was portrayed by Dana Carvey. The Church Lady’s name was Enid Strict. The host of her own talk show entitled Church Chat. The bad thing about Enid—she was a religious snob. Her famous line “Well, isn’t that spe-cial?!” always got a laugh. Unfortunately, there are those among us who feel superior to others in their faith. Just like Enid.
Paul encountered this in the church at Corinth. They were dealing with being superior to others. When it came right down to it, unlike the church, Paul could actually boast. But he said that was foolish and warned against it. God helped Paul deal with humility.
It’s not what we do to earn God’s grace, it’s a gift. God offered us grace through Jesus. We must trust that God’s grace is sufficient to help us get through any situation. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy or fun. It’s God’s strength, not ours.
When I think of God’s grace, I think of it as a mother’s hands wrapped around her newborn baby. The gentle strength of those hands as they cradle the weakest of us as humans.
I remember each time I wrapped my hands around my children and thanked God for His grace. Knowing at that moment His grace was enough. Yet, hoping I possessed enough of what I knew it was going to take to be a good parent. Doubting, as I’ve done many times in my life that God was there. That He was strong. That He provided enough—enough grace.
Celebrating grace is acknowledging that God is there and will take us through every facet of our life. It brings to mind the children’s song Jesus Loves Me. You know the part: “We are weak but He is strong.” The most humbling thing about grace is that it’s free—it’s a gift we need only to receive—we’ve done nothing to deserve it. So why not simply reach out for it? Haylie says… “It’s worth dancin’ for!”
Now I want to hear your story of grace. Do you feel there’s enough grace in your life? Take a moment and share.
