Grace & Power

Grace is a very powerful tool. It's not earned, it's an undeserved favor that is freely given. Sometimes to others, sometimes to ourselves, and sometimes by other people. If you believe in God, you know grace is at the core of who He is and something we rely on.

I played baseball for almost 20 years, and I had never experienced shame or fear within the game until I played in college. Shame, because my results never amounted to much. Fear, because I let my negative emotions control who I was.

I have so many great memories playing the game but the worst ones always leave the biggest impact. I got hurt my sophomore year and never recovered from it. By the end of my junior year, I had decided to leave the game. To me, making that decision was a powerful act of grace for myself. I needed to do what was right, for me.

I think we all live in a state of shame or fear, to some capacity. Some more than others, and it might look different for different people. True power is showing grace, even when it's not needed. Showing grace to others & showing grace to yourself.

3 Takeaways:

1. Nothing is as strong as gentleness and nothing is as gentle as true strength.
2. Create an environment where you're free to express what you're afraid to express.
3. New joy wipes out memories of the pain.

Something to Note:

Without the shame & fear, grace wouldn't have found us. It takes serving shame and turns it into serving a purpose.