Qualities of Grace
We are not changed by simply seeing what we should do and then trying to do it, even if we suppose we have been given some sort of magical power. We are changed as we see the nature of grace and respond to the freedom and love it provides. The power of grace motivates us from the inside. Change is then described as fruit. It grows as we abide in (Jn 15:9), or stay connected to, God’s love. "God is love" (I Jn 4:8). The following describes some of the qualities of His grace.
1. God changes me by providing a new way of seeing things. This loving perspective lights up my life, motivating my actions. It is based on experiencing the freeing nature of the way He relates to me, and the security of His care.
2. God meets me where I am and connects with me in my world.
3. God accepts me as I am, freely forgiving my failings, and loving me no matter what I do. (No one feels comfortable with someone who is always making them aware of their performance.)
4. He relates to my weakness with acceptance, understanding and compassion.
5. He gives me the freedom and the room I need to grow.
6. He gives me freedom to choose when I’m ready to make changes. That means that He accepts my imperfections with a gracious patience. This often translates into allowing me to put good choices on hold because I’m not ready. God allows faith and love to move me forward rather than guilt, pressure or manipulation. This is not about permissiveness. The issue is freedom. Freedom to move forward without a sense of compulsion or pressure.
7. He listens to me with compassion and understanding and communicates in a way I can understand.
8. He has established a value system that simply mirrors reality. Truth works. He leaves it to me to incorporate it into my life because I have faith that it’s the best thing I can do for myself. I seek His guidance for the same reason. However, my cooperation is never forced or presented as an obligation.
9. God gives me security and creates optimism as I accept the fact that everything in my life is being orchestrated for my good. All those circumstances are therefore blessings in some way or another.
10. If need be, God uses circumstances and consequences to confront self-destructive
behavior.
Copyright Patrick Fagenstrom, 12/11, edited 5/16
1. God changes me by providing a new way of seeing things. This loving perspective lights up my life, motivating my actions. It is based on experiencing the freeing nature of the way He relates to me, and the security of His care.
2. God meets me where I am and connects with me in my world.
3. God accepts me as I am, freely forgiving my failings, and loving me no matter what I do. (No one feels comfortable with someone who is always making them aware of their performance.)
4. He relates to my weakness with acceptance, understanding and compassion.
5. He gives me the freedom and the room I need to grow.
6. He gives me freedom to choose when I’m ready to make changes. That means that He accepts my imperfections with a gracious patience. This often translates into allowing me to put good choices on hold because I’m not ready. God allows faith and love to move me forward rather than guilt, pressure or manipulation. This is not about permissiveness. The issue is freedom. Freedom to move forward without a sense of compulsion or pressure.
7. He listens to me with compassion and understanding and communicates in a way I can understand.
8. He has established a value system that simply mirrors reality. Truth works. He leaves it to me to incorporate it into my life because I have faith that it’s the best thing I can do for myself. I seek His guidance for the same reason. However, my cooperation is never forced or presented as an obligation.
9. God gives me security and creates optimism as I accept the fact that everything in my life is being orchestrated for my good. All those circumstances are therefore blessings in some way or another.
10. If need be, God uses circumstances and consequences to confront self-destructive
behavior.
Copyright Patrick Fagenstrom, 12/11, edited 5/16