God’s Grace Abounds
I had been wrestling with how to reach a loved one without offending or putting them off. I brought my concerns to the Lord in prayer with, I admit, little hope for a plausible answer.
I saw a battlefield reminiscent of what I believe the fortified beaches of D-day looked like. Giant metal cross devices called Czech hedgehogs lined the beaches. Further research revealed they were designed to deter tanks or, in the case of these beaches ships that tried to land. These Czech hedgehogs would pierce the hulls of ships that hit these fortifications.
In my vision, these hedgehogs were also further strengthened with razor wire. So even if a boat or message in my case got through without being pierced, the razor wire would cut it.
Clearly, this direction of reaching the person was impenetrable. I felt no hope.
That’s when God broke through my line of thinking.
God’s Grace Abounds
And suddenly, my vision zoomed out and came from the other side of the fortification.
God clarified for me, “Don’t engage the person at their place of greatest fortification. Disable them with love.
You don’t have to tear down all their walls and reveal their painful memories. A demonstration of love, grace, and forgiveness is more than enough. Give them even a glimmer of My grace, and it will soften their hearts. Think of it like dropping care packages filled with precious relief for their heartache from above.
You do your small part and I have an overabundance of resources for the rest.”
***
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8, ESV)
What a relief. Our only job is to show love and grace to our loved ones. We don’t have to confront them head-on. In fact, these tactics will most likely fail.
Have you ever been tempted, like me, to just go right at the problem or what you think is the problem? All in the name of trying to help the person you love. Thinking if you could just get them to see where they error, then they could be free.
If not good job.
I don’t know why, but sometimes the larger the problem, the more I think I must hit it head-on instead of allowing God to do His job. My brain knows that God is more than capable of saving my loved one, after all, He saved me. But somehow my heart forgets.
So, I must learn to give myself grace.
And I give you permission to give yourself grace for the times that you have gotten it wrong and tried to break-through head-on.
God’s Grace Abounds
Prayer for you and me:
Lord, Jesus, Grant us the grace to love without judgment and confrontation. Help us lie down what we think is the right way to reach, convert, or even just help our loved ones. And help us forgive ourselves when we get it wrong. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
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