Some Days All You Have is Grace…

I want to debunk the notion right now that every day will be rich. Spiritual and personal poverty lurk like a thief in the night, ready to strike at any time.

I had a bad day yesterday. Scratch that. I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

As I write about it though, nothing was really that awful—your favorite team loses, disagreements happen, kids pee on the floor, goals seem daunting, blog posts don’t go viral, clients say No—life is inconvenient.

And I’m learning that inconvenience doesn’t play well with exhaustion–they fight like three-year old twins over a toy car. In this case, the toy car is my heart. As I grew tired, my patience ran thin, gratitude skipped town, and my blame fingers began pointing at everything in their path.

I was a hot, broken mess.

By the time we put the kids to bed, my mind began telling me things I didn’t need to think and I was too tired to fight for control of my thoughts. A war waged between my ears. Like mortars, lies flew across the battlefield of my mind and as they hit, they exploded. I could feel myself giving in to their barrage. I became angry.

When I’m angry, my excuses seem relevant.

Don’t Live Where You Don’t Belong

You’re painfully familiar with these kinds of days, aren’t you? You know, the kind of day where gratitude and generosity don’t flow through your veins, when joy threatens to pack its bags and move out?

Yes, those days.

In life, we will travel through the forest of doubt and despair. But we have to be careful not to set up base camp. It’s one thing to wrestle these emotions, it’s another thing to become a slave to them.

Today, I want you to know that you don’t belong there—you are not a slave.

And this isn’t some cliche notion-a kind of pep talk-telling you life is supposed to be hard, you’ve got this.

Being someone who always wants to have an answer or a direction or a response, I know that some days motivational euphemisms aren’t what we need.

Some days you and I just need grace—unmistakable, unrelenting grace.

I’m talking about the type of grace that takes your place. The type of grace that stands in the gap when you can stand no longer. The type of grace that won’t let you remain defeated.

The type of grace that says you are forgiven and you are free.

Do you know that type of grace?

The Grace to Continue

It’s interesting to me that every single New Testament author: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter, Philemon, Jude, even the author of Hebrews, speak of grace. In fact, nearly all letters to the early church begin and end with a charge—a reminder—of grace.

I believe these early authors were penning the very breath of God and He knew the unprecedented importance of clinging to grace. I believe He knew grace was the only thing that we could trust in when we had nothing left.

I believe He knew that because He lived it, and we should too. As Jesus hung on the cross, watching those who mocked and spit upon Him, He chose these words:

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)

The Son looks at the Father and says, “Choose grace.”

He said that for me. He said that for you. We become united under the cloak of His grace and that gives us cause to rejoice.

There are so many days when all we have is grace.

And it’s absolutely enough.

Then, our words will echo young King David in Psalm 30:

You turned my wailing into dancing; you clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

Friends, rest in the richness of His grace today.

And let it move you to dance.

MH

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About the Author

headshot-footerMatt Ham is dedicated to guiding others toward rich living. His own experiences have led him to the understanding and freedom of a rich life, and through his RICH Principles he helps folks uncover true richness, identifying real treasure and discovering true joy and contentment.

His first book, Redefine Rich, is a journey of uncovering a deeper, more fulfilling life by shifting your perspective. It is available in both Kindle and paperback on Amazon: here

You can order a limited hardback version of the book at www.redefinerich.com

To contact Matt, visit www.mattham.com/speaking

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8 Responses to Some Days All You Have is Grace…

  1. David Mike November 12, 2014 at 8:40 am #

    So perfect!

  2. Rick Theule November 12, 2014 at 11:06 am #

    Matt – Spot on. Thanks.

    • Matt Ham November 12, 2014 at 11:35 am #

      Thank you, Rick!

  3. Anne Peterson November 12, 2014 at 11:22 am #

    I am in need of grace. And I’m so glad it is a commodity that will never run out. Good post, Matt.

    • Matt Ham November 12, 2014 at 11:35 am #

      I can’t stop thinking of the line, “If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking.”

      Such great imagery. Thanks, Anne!

  4. Chris Peek November 12, 2014 at 11:42 am #

    Love the authenticity of this post. I had one of those days myself on Saturday. It’s okay to have those types of “no good, very bad days” once in a while. As you mentioned, the key is that we don’t stay stuck in that place of despair, but come to rest in His grace.

    • Matt Ham November 13, 2014 at 5:44 am #

      Oh these days, right Chris? At the end of the day, self-centeredness is at the root of the problem. When my eyes are on myself, it’s easier to have one of those days because circumstances dictate my response.

  5. Beth November 14, 2014 at 2:39 pm #

    I am overwhelmed by His Grace. Such a great post. Blessings.