The start of this story of Grace

 The start of this story of Grace

It all started a few years ago with these verses:

 “Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace (His unmerited favour) that was entrusted to me for your benefit” (Eph 3:2 – Ampl)

“So that we might BE to the praise of His glorious grace...” (Eph 1:6)

This became a calling/purpose that I had to understand better.

It started the questions of ‘what is grace exactly? How do I steward it? Why did this thought fall in my heart so deeply?”  So much so that it has been overshadowing my thoughts, work, my being and my life ever since. 

In my studies of human behaviour and nero-science, Word and science came together for me in a profound way and it taught me a whole lot of grace!! The more I had to understand people and guide others to do the same, the more earnestly I wanted to understand grace and the impact thereof.

During this time I also got hold of  a book called “Grace over grind” by Shae Bynes (a must-read for any Entrepreneur!). She uses the phrase “ infinite power of grace” which beckoned a whole new question: “What is the infinite power of grace?  And how do I steward THAT?”

Don’t get me wrong, I understand God’s saving grace for me pretty well and I’ve always been in awe of it.  But I also realized there is more to it.  If I am to be a steward of grace I needed to understand exactly what it is, understand God’s heart and have the mind of Christ about it. 

I have often wondered whether I was supposed to do something with the revelations or if it was meant for my own growth only.  God knows how much I value learning (He designed me that way after all). We carry our sacred moments deep within our hearts where it is safe and cherished and can be visited often.

Then, on an ordinary evening, my whole world shifted.  I was flipping through the emails on my phone, deleting as I go.  I opened an email of Joy Capps and this jumped out at me:

“Write down what I give you and make it understandable. (Hab 2.2)  I love how the Word that was written so long ago is alive and true today.  It speaks to me in certain ways, as I’m sure it uniquely speaks to you, too”. 

Have you ever had a Jaw-dropping-Spirit-moment?  This was one of those!  My ordinary evening just became an extraordinary God-filled evening.  I was stumped and looked up the whole verse (in different translations, off course!). 

This is the Easy Translation:

“Write down what I will show you.  Make it very clear on the page where you write it.  
Then someone can easily read it, and he can tell the message to other people.  What I will show you must happen at the time that I have decided”.

Suddenly the rhythm of His grace changed and I could sense the urgency within.  It is time to show more of me and have the courage to share what is planted in my spirit and have grown in my heart.  This is the time God has decided it should happen and the instruction is clear.  I trust that His favour lies in my courage.

We all grow at a different pace, have different truths stored in our hearts and have different experiences, so I’m always careful in not forcing my growth upon others, for my truth might not be a truth someone else is ready for.   Sharing openly, with strangers, that which was revealed to me in my quiet time with the Lord, takes a whole lot of courage and vulnerability, so bear with me.  This is unchartered water for me.  I sometimes understand things in my spirit that my conscious mind won’t comprehend or explain. Weird, I know! I love writing.  Yet, sometimes I’m confronted with a full, overflowing spirit, an emply page and a pen that’s numb

I am no theologian, but I am of open heart and open mind and this is simply me sharing what was entrusted to me to share for whom ever needs to have it shared.  

I am also not assuming that this is all there is to know and I’m eagerly looking forward to discover more layers as I go and grow.  I cannot be presumptuous in thinking that I have full understanding of  His grace, but I am grateful for what He graciously revealed to me. 

Remember that we all see in part only.  Please make time to research more about grace and gather all the parts that was given to other people too.  We so easily compare and make judgements to what is right and wrong, what we agree with or don’t agree with.  As we are all parts of whole, the body of Christ, it is only together that we can give life to the full likeness of Him Who created us to collectively be the image of God.  So this is my part.  I hope and trust that it will ad to the parts you have gathered thus far. 

Understanding the layers and the language of grace can help you heal to the beauty and joy God desires for you.  Won’t you join me on this journey of discovery?  

 

 Ps:  

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Introduction

I am a tourist, an adventurer, finding myself in this foreign landscape of blogging, exploring it, checking out the lay of the land, hoping to become a permanent resident – belonging and thriving within your midst. 

Belonging and connection  – our primal need through all the ages. We are created for love and connection.   We long and yearn to belong to our families, our peers, our crowd – belonging anywhere, somewhere.   In the famous quote of Maya Angelou:

“ You are only free when you realize you belong no place;  you belong every place;  no place at all.  The price is high.  The reward is great” .  The way I interpret this is that you can only be free and belong to others if you truly belong to yourself.  And when you do, you will equally be at home with others as with yourself. 

So with that in mind, I dare to venture into this unknown, for I have come to a place where I truly belong to myself and I am therefor free to brave a whole new world.  And yes, the price was high!  Growing into this self, the self God created me to be, was a painful and an exhilarating journey of discovery.  But yes!!  The reward is great!  True belonging, came when I could nestle my imperfect self into His heart and be at home there, knowing that I am loved.  It came from knowing Who created me, why He did and how I was created so that I could live FROM, WITHIN and BY that divine design. 

The exciting part is:  I am a work in progress and I’m still discovering colours, nuances and patterns of the kaleidoscope of my design. 

Borrowing the title of my favorite book by Dr  Brené Brown … I am “Braving the Wilderness”, trusting that I will soon find my space of belonging within your midst and that you will feel equally at home in my space. 

As you are braving your own wilderness,  I invite you to journey with me on this road of discovering  the hidden treasures of Grace, design and wholeness and language of the heart.

Watch out for the first Grace-post next week.  I will post weekly, so make sure to subscribe as to not miss out on anything. You are welcome to comment and tell us about your grace-journey, share wisdom or ask questions. 

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