A couple of weeks ago, our pastor shared a quote in his homily. Maybe you’ve heard it:
“There go I, but for the Grace of God.”
No one is quite sure who it is attributed to, but the story goes like this. A criminal is being walked through the streets to his execution, after having being found guilty of theft. The crowds are jeering the thief. Yet one man realizes that without God’s help, he could’ve easily been that criminal being walked to his death. And with eyes raised to heaven is quoted as saying the above statement.
As I listened to this story, I quickly went through the litany of ways that my life could’ve easily gone off track. What could have been, but wasn’t. All those times I made choices that were very much different from what God wanted. All those moments when I chose my own self-will and self-interests.
Without pouring out every detail of my life, I hope it suffices to say that who I am now, in no way reflects what I am naturally. I understand that, as I blog about my life with God, it can appear that I have it all together. And if you happen to know me in real life, you know that I do lead a deeply blessed life.
That being said…Life could have easily turned out quite differently for me than it actually has.
I recently connected with someone who knew me as a teenager. This person, upon seeing my social media, commented that he did not realize I was such a “godly person.” Of course, that made me laugh!
Oh, how God can change a person in 15 years!
So I understand the great responsibility to acknowledge that God has done great things in me. I can only boast of his Grace. As St. Paul says:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective.”
1 Corinthians 15:10
There have been some pivotal moments in my life, that I reflect on now and realize – that was something big, that was life changing.
There have been times when I have felt a gentle nudge to try something that scared me, or to say yes to something out of my normal comfort zone. These times have been uncomfortable because I feared embarrassment, judgement, other’s opinions, etc. But these have been the times that have mattered.
God was calling me to trust. These have been the times when I have put my faith in a God that I barely knew. And He has carried me.
In those moments when I have trusted and done His will, even though I didn’t understand it, I have been transformed. Little by little God has changed me from being the person that nature says I am, into more closely resembling the person whom He says I am.
All of these moments – the ones He’s saved me from and the ones He has called me to – all give me a glimpse of what He has planned for me. God has laid a path before me for a very specific purpose.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control…He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began.
2 Timothy 1: 7,9
And it shows me that He plans to keep transforming me. Grace builds upon grace. If I trust in Him, He will give me greater and greater experiences of His love, until I have fully grown into the woman He has called me to be.
The only way that I, or any of us, can even remotely try to repay his unsolicited, unsurpassing Grace, is to give this life back to Him, whatever that might mean.
And pray, “Lord, let only Your will be done in me.”
I encourage you to examine the ways in which God’s grace has worked in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in prayer. Some questions to take to prayer with you:
- How has your life turned out differently than you would’ve expected?
- Where has God’s grace saved you from yourself?
- When has he spared you from a bad situation?
- When has He given you gifts to help you along the way?
- What relationships or life events have changed you?
- When have you stepped out of your natural comfort zone and done something bold? Has it led you closer to God?
And I pray that you always remember, as St. Therese of Lisieux so beautifully states: “Everything is Grace.”
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