Grace

What is grace exactly? Where does it come from? Is it preceded by something? Does it stand alone? These are all questions I hope to answer in the bible study I am leading with the women of my church this fall. Upon reflection, the term "grace" is rather a well used term in our culture, at least in Christian circles. It is also one of the few terms that isn't fraught with an abundance of baggage. In fact, grace seems to be something those in the church and those outside of the church can agree is a good thing, something that connects us to a higher being and forms the basis for inclusion. But, what exactly is it?

It is clear that Paul uses the term a lot by connecting it to the law and to sin (missing the mark). It seems to be randomly bestowed and granted and is necessary as a precursor to even being received. The Greek word for grace, charis, is found in the words "charisma" and "character" which means it has something to do with natural talent (a gift of personality) and a working out (obedience/will). It is also clear through Paul that its presence in our lives has nothing to do with us.

When I was in seminary, sometime during my second year, not unlike a lot of my classmates, I began to question whether or not the God that I had committed my life to even existed. I have always been drawn to sociology and this interest, combined with the deconstruction of the Scriptures that was taking place in the classroom, led me to the conclusion that it was possible that religion was created solely to prop up those that are weak. At that point, I dropped out of the process to become an ordained minister and began to look for a career that didn't involve such a dicotomy. I am not sure what brought me out of that head space--no specific person, no particular book, no enlightened experience--just "grace". I felt a call, a tug, to keep walking. And movement is what ensued. It wasn't a movement that was fighting to hold on, but rather an open movement, with arms wide, wanting the truth. That movement led me right back to the arms of God.

That is the thing about grace. "It was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relived". It goes before, is present in the middle, and follows after. It is all around us, for no apparant reason, except that we have a God that desires to bestow it out of perfect love. So, we bestow it to the "other" as well. Whoever that may be in our world. I am not sure why some stand in God's favor and others do not. But, I do know wallowing in that question makes that words from the book of Jonah 2:8 make sense, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs". Oftentimes my idol is my own brain, intellect or even the questions themselves, yet look what I forfeit--the beauty of grace.

Let's see where this leads and what we learn.