What is grace? It’s hard to define, but always enough.
Grace is that glorious church word that feels familiar to many of us. We know grace deep in our bones. It’s so ubiquitous it seems like a part of our spiritual DNA. We acknowledge it and are grateful for it, but can we explain it?
Grace is a free gift of God. It is costly in nature: the free gift of grace came at a great expense.
Grace is also greater than a gift we receive. Grace, at its core, is relational. Grace is a Person. Grace is God Himself.
Grace is the work of salvation, and it is also the sustaining work of sanctification. Grace is the gentle gesture that cups our chin and lifts our gaze heavenward. Grace is the hope of glorification that we will one day be with Him. Grace makes Jesus the prize.
Mercifully, grace is both a “now” and a “not yet” feature of the kingdom of God. We don’t have to wait for grace, even in the most difficult parts of our stories.
I have Crohn’s disease, and in late 2021, we discovered that the persistent inflammation … had turned into a malignant tumor. Cancer became a part of our family’s daily experience and DNA. It’s not a story I would have chosen, and if I’m honest, the burden of chemo, unwanted crippling side effects, and general malaise have all felt not at all like grace, or at least what I used to think of grace.
Grace is the gentle gesture that cups our chin and lifts our gaze heavenward.
But, over the last five years, here’s the truth to which I’ve been clinging: Jesus is much more interested in my holiness than my happiness. That means grace shows up in various ways, working to make me more like Jesus.
My grandfather, the consummate pastor, used to say, “You get dying grace on your dying day.” I got cancer grace on my cancer day. The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I realize the staying, sustaining power of grace. I have enough grace for each new day and the kind of grace I need for each new trial.
In Christ, so do you.
This article is adapted from The Melody of Grace by Whitney Capps. Learn more about this Bible study and read an excerpt.
About Whitney Capps
Whitney Capps is an author and speaker who delights in digging into God’s Word for profound yet practical truth. A communicator at heart, she comes alive sharing those truths with others. Whitney and her husband, Chad, are raising their four sons just outside Atlanta, Georgia.
