It’s hard running a small blog. I’d imagine it’s harder than running a large one. Why? Because I don’t get a whole lot of feedback and so even when I feel like my words aren’t being received well, it’s hard to pinpoint what’s causing the negative reaction.

Talking about my audience, you, isn’t why I’m here, though. I only use that to say I hope I don’t come off as less in need of grace than anyone else. Why is this important right now? Well, I was reading more in The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning and it brought the need for grace directly to my attention. See, needing grace less would mean that I have something else to rely on, and, you see, I have nothing else. Nothing. Grace is all I’ve really got going for me. And that’s the way it should be.

Grace embraces flaws

See, the grace of God isn’t His ignoring our flaws and shortcomings. No, it’s His deep recognition of each and every one of them and embracing them all. He loves me with every blemish and imperfection, not in spite of them. And therein lies the crucial distinction.

Grace depends on nothing else

God loves me because He is good and gracious. There is nothing that I have, nothing that I’ve done, nothing that I am that could ever earn His love and favor. And there is nothing that ever could.

The relief of grace

This is the relief of grace. There is nothing I need to do. There is nothing I need to be. There is nothing. Nothing I need to earn or maintain. I am simply free to be. I am enough in who He has made me. And that is good enough for Him. I am good enough for Him. And so are you.

Thinking into grace is a scary thing. It forces us to shed our performance mindset and cast aside our Facebook-selves. It burns to rubble all our feats, trophies, efforts, and accomplishments and lays us bare. Yet, it is this nakedness that God, in His infinite grace, loves. It is because of His grace that He loves. And we are merely free to be the very picture of imperfection we are today. Because that imperfection is enough for Him. Who else can tell us otherwise?