Welcome to Day 10 of our #GodlyAdventure! Do you struggle to receive grace while walking with God? In this article, Rebecca Hastings will help you open up to new possibilities in whatever situation you face.
Most days I think I walk with God. I feel like I’ve got this Christian thing pretty much figured out. And then I have the dinner incident, and I wonder if I even know God.
I made meatballs. Yes, it was a new recipe, but it seemed good to me. I was just patting myself on the back for getting dinner on the table for my people when I noticed my son’s plate.
Spaghetti and sauce were piled high, but there were no meatballs to be seen. The meatballs I made. From scratch. For them. When I asked about it he said he didn’t like them. My jaw clenched, and I tried to brush it off. It’s fine. He can have something else. I tried to convince myself.
So, he got something else. And it wasn’t what I wanted him to have. Mostly because I wanted him to eat the meatballs. I snapped at him, not really mad about the food he chose. I was hurt that he didn’t like my meatballs. (Yes, as I type these words I realize how ridiculous it sounds.)
Unfortunately, my hurt and my clenched jaw turned into an argument and tears. I could see it happening, and I felt helpless. I began beating myself up in my head for my reaction, the anger spiraling. And it all started with meatballs.
This one was a regular old Tuesday, but it could be any day with any situation.
Two Paths
As my feelings swirled I had a choice to make.
I could keep going the way I was, devolving into my own ideas and feelings
OR I could choose a different path, a path of grace.
That choice feels hard in the rush of our emotions. I knew where I messed up. I knew that I felt bad about it, but could I really step out of the storm into something else?
In my mind I wasn’t sure I deserved it. Actually, I knew I didn’t deserve it. I had messed up. I snapped over something silly. The path that made the most sense was the one that made me pay for my mistake by feeling like a terrible mom. That other path, the one with grace, made no sense. It couldn’t really be for me, or for this. Right?
Is That Really for Me?
I can give grace. I like to even think I’m good at it. When my kids come to me with an apology I sprinkle grace around like a good fairy, feeling great and maybe even a little holy.
But when it comes to me, it’s a different story. I may apologize, like I did that night with my son, but I couldn’t let it go. I kept holding on, gripping my feelings and my mistake tight in my fists.
My son and I worked it out and moved on with our regular Tuesday. I just couldn’t let go and believe that it was that simple.
How can something so extraordinary be for someone so, well, ordinary? When I open myself up to the possibility that God’s grace really is for me, and it really is for every situation (even meatball meltdowns) how do I actually receive it?
Do you struggle to receive grace while walking with God? In this article, @MyInkDance will help you open up to new possibilities in whatever situation you face.Receiving Grace in Your Life
Grace felt illusive to me, like water through my fingers. No matter how tight I grip, the water slips away.
But what if we aren’t meant to grab hold of grace? What if it is something completely different?
When we try to grab hold, making that fist, we are working, striving to grab something in our own strength. Grace cannot be gripped in our hand. Grace is poured out on us, around us, in us.
Instead of trying to grab grace and hold on tight we need to simply step in and receive.
No matter what situation you face in your walk with God, there is grace. From work conflicts to marriage woes, from meatballs to that sin you just can’t seem to get a handle on, God has grace. It’s free. It’s for you. All you need to do is open your hands and receive.
Walking with God requires us to let go and receive the gift of grace.
Grace is a gift. God pours himself into it so you can let go and receive His gift.
How can you open your hands and step into His grace today?
Rebecca Hastings believes in finding extraordinary grace in ordinary life. At My Ink Dance, she brings honesty and God’s truth to our feelings in a relatable way. A writer and speaker, she is the author of Worthy: Believe Who God Says You Are, a 20-day devotional inviting women to live life confident of their worth. Rebecca is a wife and mother of three in Connecticut who can often be found typing words, driving her kids places or wherever there is chocolate.
Rebecca Hastings believes in finding extraordinary grace in ordinary life. At Need a faith boost? Here's this week's giveaway for the 15 Days of Walking with God online event. They're filled with truth!
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Time to cease striving and start receiving. Thank you for this picture: “But what if we aren’t meant to grab hold of grace? What if it is something completely different? When we try to grab hold, making that fist, we are working, striving to grab something in our own strength.”
I liked that visual too, Alyson. I can envision a waterfall of God’s grace just saturating us.
I agree completely Alyson!
In the process God showed me this (mentioned above):
“When we try to grab hold, making that fist, we are working, striving to grab something in our own strength. Grace cannot be gripped in our hand. Grace is poured out on us, around us, in us.
Instead of trying to grab grace and hold on tight we need to simply step in and receive.”
It is a receiving, a welcoming, a surrendering.
Kelly, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who struggles with this. I keep beating myself up over things until I turn black and blue. But thankfully I can always receive the grace God extends… when I’ve enough sense to do so. Thanks for the encouragement today!!
Sheila, thanks for your comment. Rebecca’s post is very encouraging. Most of us have probably felt the same way at one time or another. So thankful for God’s grace! Have a great weekend.
It is always a relief, a new form of grace even, when we discover we are not the only one. So grateful to walk the journey with you 🙂
Yes it is, thank you!
So true, the hardest person to forgive is often ourselves! Your honesty and thoughts on stepping into grace instead of clutching at it are encouraging!
This sounds familiar, Becky–I think it may have even been with meatballs at my house, hehe.
God is good that he continues to whisper to our hearts. Most of the daddy hugs inwardly speaking, that I get from him seem to come after the fact–after I’ve said the thing, felt the feelings–and He’s there making my heart understand more and more, I can’t do this on my own; that I need his help daily.
Love you friend.
I’m not the only one! Doing a small happy dance here, knowing we are in good company!
xo
Thank you for sharing “the meatball” story. I find the beauty of receiving the gift of grace so humbling, yet very liberating!
It sure is! Amen!
I could so relate to this. Grace is easier to give sometimes, than receive. I guess that is why it is called a gift.
It can be easier to give — sometimes 😉
It is a gift, for sure. I don’t know why I lose sight of that and think I need to do it on my own. It’s not a gripping as much as it is a receiving!
There’s so much wisdom in your comment about choosing the path of grace that is counter-intuitive, that makes no sense, but nonetheless is offered to us in Christ. Thank you!
I so step into this trap so often it makes my mind reel. I find relief though in reading your post because I realize I am not alone. I find a lot of grace in that fact. We all fall short, but when we practice receiving God’s grace it really does bring peace. Thanks Rebecca and Kelly for sharing this with us.
PS I have been blogging for almost five years.