Grace sometimes feels like an enigmatic term. What do we mean when we talk about grace?
Grace is profound—an unmerited gift from God. But it can also take the shape of ordinary every day type things. Below is a story from when I first started serving Wesley UMC in Riverside California.
One distinct memory of grace came at my second church assignment. I was new and an older woman brought me homemade jam and dried figs as a gift. It struck me because I’d barely arrived at the church. I hadn’t really preached yet (maybe once?). I hadn’t visited her. I hadn’t taught any classes. Functionally, to make any kind of difference in her life, I hadn’t done anything. And yet, here was this gift. It looked, and smelled and tasted like jam and dried figs. And yet it was so much more. It was a gift of grace. Free. Unmerited. Just a gift with no strings attached.
The other amazing part was that she wasn’t just “older”. She was old. She was nearly 90. And yet she spent hours in her kitchen cutting fruit for either the dehydrator or the canning pot. I was 27. It certainly seemed like I should be the one doing the work in the kitchen, but she could and she did and she had a very generous heart and she shared.
Sometimes it can be tempting to think that grace is something only God offers. But really, grace is an everyday gift. It’s unmerited with no strings attached and it’s something each of us can do.
It could be jam, or dehydrated fruit, or some cookies, or a needed hug, or taking the time to listen to how someone is really doing.
Grace takes many forms. It comes in all shapes and sizes and we’d love to hear from you about a moment or gift of grace. Would you consider sharing a story?