My hope is that this blog will be a conduit for conversation between you and me, between you and others, and most importantly, between you and God. Experience has shown me that my best conversations with the Lord and with others come coupled with the stillness of morning and a cup of coffee. Whatever your experience has been, I hope you will join me as I share what God puts on my heart.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Greater still.

As life progresses, as I mature, as seasons of life come and go, I continue to experience new levels of God’s grace.  And even when I know that I know that I know that God’s grace is bottomless, I remain surprised when I experience God’s grace in a greater, newer way. 


I foolishly operate as though God’s grace is finite: I believe this present struggle is far bigger than the last one; this pain greater than before; this obstacle loftier than the previous. And they are.


But so is God’s grace.


The bigger the struggle, the more the pain, the loftier the obstacle—the greater God’s grace.


And when I think I have reached the ceiling, when I believe I am surely experiencing the pinnacle of God’s grace—God’s undeserved goodness toward us—it goes on.  It consumes me.  It consumes whatever obstacle I am experiencing.


God's grace will always be bigger than the struggle we experience, the pain we feel, or the obstacle we face.


I get lost in it.  It is there that my experience of Christ is in its purest form—grace, grace, and more grace.  I am then exactly who the Lord called me to be when enveloped in this grace.


Yet God’s grace is always available—and available in its fullest form.  This is consistent with who God is: omnipresent and infinite.  Then whether I experience God in His fullness depends solely on me.    


And I look back time and time again and see how God accomplished His perfect plan in me.  A plan that is good because the Lord is good.  But I miss the fullness of His presence and grace in that season when I adopt the fallacy that His grace is limited. 


I must make clear that I am not claiming the obstacle you’re experiencing is good.  Do not be confused: it is God’s presence despite, grace within, and use of that obstacle that are good.


I am sorry for this struggle, this pain, this obstacle you are facing.  But I am overwhelmed by God’s grace that is greater still.  I implore you to cling to the truth of who God is.  I am certain that God’s grace in whatever season you are currently experiencing is fully available right now.  And I cannot help but believe the greater your communion with the Lord, the greater your awareness of His grace becomes.


Maybe you are like me.  Maybe your perception of God’s grace varies with the size of your obstacle.  Maybe you have a preconceived idea of what God’s grace looks like.  I pray the Lord sets you free from whatever boundary you are putting on His grace.  I’m learning there are none.


“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”  Psalm 116:7 (NIV).


“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV).


“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”  Psalm 116:5 (NIV).







Speaking of God's boundless grace, please feast your eyes on this turtle mocha made with bona fide premium chocolate. Hello, you.

Much love to you,

Paige

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