Grace for You

We can either frustrate God's grace or activate God's grace. I've done both, and I bet you can guess which choice I've come to prefer.

So, check this out: I’ve got to move this stump—it’s in my way. If I’m going to step into the future, I’ve got to move it. I tell myself, “I can do it. I know I can!” But the more I try, the harder it gets. I strain, I push, I sweat, but nothing happens. It’s exhausting and frustrating.

Then I stop and notice something. Grace—have you been here the whole time? I’ve been waiting for you! Grace replies, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask and get out of the way.”

Did you see how frustrating it was to try moving the immovable in my own strength? When we frustrate God’s grace, we frustrate ourselves. So why do we ever set it aside?

When we do things by grace, the heavy becomes light, the impossible becomes possible, and the discouraging becomes exciting. Suddenly, what was immovable is moved—it’s a miracle! There’s a clear path forward.

If faith is the plan that petitions for the obstacle to be removed, then grace is the tractor that takes those requests and puts them into powerful, hydraulic action to produce the outcome.