Finding Grace…

By: Kelley Hinson

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

                  There are some days that are really good and blessings flow through every nook and cranny.  There are times though, that I can’t help but think that some days are made to test every part of my Christian heart that they possibly can.  The struggle is real and there are times when if that one more thing happens…Why do those times seem to stick out like a Christmas tree on the fourth of July?

I had a conversation with a young woman recently.  She approached me cautiously, probably debated texting me altogether, but she needed help, and she didn’t know where else to turn.  She was about to lose hope altogether and she needed encouragement. Her words were full of hopelessness and frustration with a touch of dread. What I saw when I finished reading her text, is what I saw several years ago in myself.  She needed God’s grace, and after saying a prayer to God for guidance, I did my best to deliver that to her.  I won’t go into detail on what I said to her or the passage I sent, but He delivered grace to me as well in that conversation and I didn’t even know I was looking for it.

We are not perfect.  We will never be, and we will never meet God’s standard of perfection on our own. We all need God’s grace. We all struggle and we all “… fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But we are not without hope. We can rest because God sent His Son to die for our sins and He rose again to defeat sin and death.  We can rest in the righteousness that fully satisfied that debt.  We can rest in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He is why we are not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, and most important, we are not destroyed.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  He is not vengeful, He is faithful.  He is not merciless, He is merciful.  He is loving, patient, and He is full of grace. You don’t have to be perfectly put together all the time to receive God’s grace.  It is not through our effort that we receive it. You must simply ask for it. When you believe and receive Jesus into your heart, and pursue Him, it is something that is given freely through faith and the love of Christ.