We miss something remarkable when happiness is our pursuit, because happiness is a brief vapor at her very best. What’s more, there is something beautiful about getting what you get, something lovely in the mess, something divine in the ordinary. And the something is grace.
Grace to smile in sickness, to dance in death, to cartwheel in chaos, to strike a pose, though all around us and inside us crumbles. Grace to understand that this isn’t the way things are supposed to be, at least not forever. But it’s the way things are now and here. Grace to believe there is plenty of grace for all of it. All we have to do is receive it; life that is. Life, as is.
And if we’ll take what life gives, grace will find us—in all her fierceness and splendor, dressed in chain mail and armor, ready to pin a sprig of lilac on our collars. But she only comes to those of us who find ourselves in the places where brokenness and rejoicing coexist. Places where bitter death tolls harmonize with strains of celebration. Places where broken bones dance to the trumpet’s blast.
(excerpt from As Is, page 35)
If you’re thinking…”um wow, when did Tyler become such a good writer?” Let me put your thoughts at ease: I didn’t write those words.
I’ve been reading a book titled As Is by a mostly unknown author over the past few weeks. This was by far my favorite part and also best captured the theme of the book as a whole.
Aside from just letting this sit here as is (I kid, I kid), here are a few quick observations on these paragraphs:
- Krista refers to grace as a woman, which is really quite normal. Before being married I would have thought that was lame. Now it makes complete sense. Grace isn’t too common in me.
- I find myself almost always opposed to go to the places where we find grace. Because grace means uncomfortable and exposed. Why is it that I shy away from those places in life?
- The typical Christian view of grace is somewhat limited to me. We take it as God’s forgiveness towards us sinners. I did a study on this in school, but I believe God’s grace shows up in our lives in many ways other than when we sin.
What has God taught you about grace?
