i have felt that this is the year of grace and mercy in my life. it was so profound. one day i was so tired, tragic and feeling like i was on the edge of a cliff all of the time. then the next day i had peace, rest and grace. it happened overnight - and it was so shocking. so much so that i kept telling me in a surprised way that i felt "so much better than i have in years!" well, i think i'm on the brink of something.
i was in a training for my job yesterday when i received a phone call telling me to look into what grace meant for me. little did the person know, i'd already looked it up and just wasn't finding the definition really. which is so weird. but i looked again this morning and wow, God is chasing me down. grace and mercy are chasing me down this year. i've broken down the definitions below - i need to not only exhibit grace and mercy to others but also to myself. it's time.
grace: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration and sactification.
- unmerited = undeserved
- divine = godly
- assistance = help
- regeneration = regrowing/growing again
- sanctification = to make holy
- holy = to set apart for God
so in layman's terms, grace is underserved help that God gives to humans to help set them apart for Him and also help them grow again. i can't even get into how profound this is for me this morning.
now for mercy.
mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm
- compassion = pity or concern for the suffering and misfortune of others
- forgiveness = to give up resentment
so in layman's terms, mercy is when you give up resentment toward, have pity on and are concerned about the suffering and misfortune of someone whom it is within your power to punish.
my new year's resolution this year was to love myself better - not more, just better. i love myself but i don't treat myself very well on a regular basis. and right now, honestly i'm wounded. i would love to say that all of the wounds and festering sores are from the abuse and words that have cut me as they've come into my life and heart straight from other people's lips. however, it's my fault that i've let those things infect my soul and spirit. i'm festering because i took their words and actions and believed their untruths. grace and mercy tell me that it's time to stop that. that it's time to believe that what God says about me is true and that perfection is not only required, it's secondary to love and the other fruits of the spirit.
love yourself. protect yourself. forgive yourself. take care of yourself.
those are my goals. they should be yours as well.
