Yesterday I wrote about what grace is and what it does, but some of you need to know what it isn't and what it won't do.
Grace is not a license to do whatever you want knowing God will cover your butt.
Grace does not hand out a condom knowing you will be stupid and have sex with someone you shouldn't. Nor will grace tie you down so you don't go to that crackhouse again. Grace does not hide your wallet so you won't go to the track and lose this month's rent and risk putting your family on the street. Grace doesn't save your job when you've been looking at porn at work, and grace won't make your spouse stay because you aren't responsible enough to be faithful.
But Grace says, "If you have sex, I'll love you, even when you hate yourself."
Grace holds your hand and whispers, "You can do this," the whole time your body aches and the only thing you want more than that drug is to be clean...and even when you don't but you are determined for this time to be different.
Grace says you don't have to lose your self-respect forever just because your past choices made you lose everything else.
Grace never brings up the past except on those days when you are drowning in what a bad parent you are and how you never get it right and how you wish you could do it over, and then it reminds you of when you were the mom who wanted the crack more than you wanted that baby and you couldn't get through the day without a drink and you chose the way out instead of searching for a way in.
Grace reminds you of who you are and encourages you to believe in who you can become.
It is Love that says I know it all, and I'm still all in...with all of you...the parts that hurt and the parts that hope.
Grace can't fix the past or change what you did or who you were. Grace just says, "You don't have to be that anymore."
And if you are tired of who you are and what you are doing, I want you to know, there is grace, and God has enough for you.
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