Let’s Not Talk About
It
By Lisa Boyer
“But He gives us
more grace”
James
4:6a (NIV)
I
heard the phrase “breathing in Your grace, breathing out Your grace” on the
radio and I was intrigued. I wondered what breathing out God’s grace would look
like. Well, God may have been waiting for me to wonder that because the next
day He started me on a journey of breathing out His grace.
In
a two-and-a-half-hour period, I found myself interacting with the same person
over and over again and each encounter left me feeling a sting. By the last
encounter, I was just plain hurt. It was so unlike her and I had no idea what
to do. But I did know whom to
ask. I went right to God, who knew exactly what was going on in both our
hearts. I honestly expected a simple “just talk to her,” which is usually the
appropriate response; instead, He clearly said, “Give grace.” I instantly knew
what giving grace would look like in this relationship.
For
the next month, I gave grace, but in the back of my mind I kept wondering about
the day we would have to sit down and talk about it. Ok, I did a little more
than wonder, I worried. I just couldn’t imagine how we could truly move forward
without a get-it-out-in-the-open conversation. But for this specific situation,
God had said to give grace, and that’s what I truly wanted to do.
Once
again, I went to God; once again, He answered clearly, “Give more grace.” This
time I didn’t know what He meant, but I trusted Him to tell me when I needed to
know. And He did. The next time I saw
her, God spoke to my heart, I listened and I gave more grace as instructed. The
act of giving more grace spoke more than words ever could. I was overwhelmed
with emotion and knew we’d never need to talk about it.
Breathing
out His grace has been a beautiful experience. Freely giving love and
forgiveness and not asking for (or needing) an apology has given me a tiny
glimpse into the love and joy God feels when we are reconciled to Him because
of His grace toward us.
What
an amazing gift grace is…both to receive and to give.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Have you been holding on to feelings of hurt
and unforgiveness? Today, will you go to God and ask Him to help you give of
the grace you have received from Him?
2. Will you prayerfully consider how God wants
you to share His message of reconciliation?
FURTHER READING:
Lisa
has been married to Ted for over 20 years and they have two teenage sons. Lisa
administers Fresh Start’s Facebook and blog, and loves hanging out with and
impacting teenage girls for Christ.
