Allow God’s Grace to Transform You
We spend tons of time feeling discouraged over what we are not. It’s easy to let the list of things loom over us, reminding us that we are lacking in so many areas. On top of that, we have friends or family members who can make us feel even worse by pointing out all of our shortcomings. We work like crazy to make up for our mistakes by “doing” all of the right things.
Envy vs. the power of grace
Recently, our son went to visit a great family for fellowship after church. He told me that after dinner, they sat around the piano and all sang hymns in five part harmony. Not three part harmony—five part harmony. I will tell you, I felt suddenly a little sad that I had forgotten to learn to play the piano so I could teach my kids how to sing beautiful hymns together. How did I miss that detail? I told Beau I was very sorry we didn’t do that at our house and he told me he didn’t feel too worried over it. Still, I was still kind of bummed over it and it kept nagging at me all day.
I could have let this really bother me. But I remind myself that I am not a reject because I cannot teach my kids music. And I am not fantastic because I homeschool and cook from scratch. At times I act like I am on some scale, teetering nervously between good and bad, hoping to make the final cut. This kind of living can be tiring and cause all sorts of anxieties and insecurities.
Who you truly are
Instead of focusing on all of the things I am not, it’s best to focus on the one thing I truly am. I am Michelle, a girl saved by grace. I am a mixture of sin and holiness, having high points and low points but ultimately safe and secure in God’s hand. I can stop trying to please others, and I can stop trying to impress my Creator, because He is already totally and completely satisfied by what He sees in me, His son. I can rest knowing I am cared for and loved.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9
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