Exceptional Grace

Growing up I hated getting into trouble. I was the girl who was a complete perfectionist and the classic 'teacher's pet'.

It was always self-inflicted, pressure I put on myself to maintain such a high standard. I would even start competitions with myself, in the most mundane things like the weekly spelling test in primary school.

I was constantly pushing myself to be better but even when I was successful, I found it difficult to truly receive encouragement or praise.

For the longest time I trained myself to look for what I needed to do to improve, rather than appreciate what I had learnt.

If someone said something that was encouraging, I thought they were being 'too nice' and if they gave me constructive criticism, that meant that they really cared.

It was somehow so much easier to encourage and show grace to others, then to give it to myself.

Sometimes I can't even believe I was ever like this and yet every now and again I fall back into this place. The place of judgement and no grace towards ourselves. Where you can never made mistakes or have an 'off day'.

I promise friends that this is no place to stay. That you are missing out on so much freedom, joy and peace when you refuse to let go of doing everything perfectly.

The beauty of the New Testament is that Jesus paved the way for us to no longer be bound by the regulations of the Old Testament. That we are no longer confined by law but covered by his grace.

 'For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God’s favour and mercy].'
Romans 6:14

You're the exception to the rule friends. The world's shame and condemnation has no hold on you. God will never turn his back to you. God's grace abounds in our lack.

If anyone had the right to condemn us, it would be our perfect, holy God and yet he chose to bless us. So we need to stop trying to earn our place as children of God and just let him love us.

Let him cover us in his peace and take away all anxiety. Let him be our strength when we are weak. Let's make room for him.

'My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for[My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.’
2 Corinthians 12:9

It's in our striving to be perfect, that we miss the opportunity for God's grace to shine through us. It's only when we acknowledge that we can't do life in our own strength, that we can walk in the freedom that God has won for us. 

I thought that because I didn't deserve it, I could never reap the benefit of it. Yet the world's rules don't apply to God’s gifts. His grace is exceptional. 

It's not earned, won or lost. Jesus paid the cost, so it would freely be available to us. So stop striving and Just. Let. Go.  

'Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.'
Hebrews 4:16