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Where we discover redemption in life’s mess.
My garage is where everything gets tossed—tools, old boxes, unused sports gear and random knick knacks. As time goes on, the clutter builds, and what started as a simple storage space turns into a chaotic mess. The door can barely open, and finding anything useful becomes a challenge. It’s easy to imagine just closing the door and avoiding the mess altogether.
Can you relate?
But what if someone offered to help? Not just a little bit, but to really dive in—to sort through the chaos, organize everything, and help reclaim the space?
How incredible would that feel?
That’s exactly what God’s grace does for us. When our lives are messy, full of clutter, confusion, and things we’d rather forget, God doesn’t turn away. Instead, he steps in, rolls up his sleeves, and helps us sort through it all.
The beauty of grace is that it’s unearned, unmerited and undeserved. Yet, even when we deserve condemnation and rejection, God extends his unrelenting grace every single day. He also invites us to join this lifestyle of grace, even toward those who deeply harm us.
Are you ready to be fiercely gracious?
It’s easy to be gracious when everything is in order, when the garage is tidy, and there’s no visible mess. But grace becomes challenging when we’re confronted with other people’s faults—or when our own shortcomings become too hard to ignore. We need grace most when we least deserve it.
Andy Stanley, in his book “The Grace of God,” describes grace as the love we don’t deserve yet somehow receive—the gift that feels too good to be true.
Living in a society that prizes individual rights and justice, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that grace is something we can earn or deserve through good deeds. Yet, God’s grace isn’t tied to our actions or our sense of fairness. It flows freely from a place of pure love, without conditions or prerequisites.
Grace is often the first casualty in organized religion. As we build systems and structures, we sometimes lose sight of the very essence of our faith. We rationalize our behavior, justify our lack of compassion and make excuses for not extending grace to others. But grace doesn’t operate on our terms—it is as constant and unwavering as God’s love.
John 1:14 reminds us, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was the embodiment of grace, walking among us to show us what true grace looks like.
It’s true life can feel just as messy as my garage—cluttered with past regrets, unresolved conflicts and hidden fears. But God wades into our mess, offering us grace to help clean up, restore and renew.
“It is through the grace of God that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:11). This message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, is at the heart of our mission as Christians.
May we carry this message of grace into every interaction, every relationship and every corner of our lives. As we go about our days, let’s extend the same grace we’ve received to a world that desperately needs it. And may we remember: We might not deserve it, but God’s grace is always there, willing to help us clean up, restore and renew.
Let’s be fiercely gracious.
Do Good:
- Could you use a meeting with God not to get more from him, but to discover more about who he is and his heart for you? Get inside the Caring Magazine Scripture Study Collection and find a suite of free, printable Bible studies to help you start your day with hope, meet God over lunch or end your evening connected to your Creator.
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