Freedom in Lent - Day 25
“God doesn’t give in order to acquire. God loves without self-seeking; that’s at the heart of who God is. God gives for the benefit of others.”
― Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace
A much thrown-around word in Christian circles is 'Grace' - the gift of God's unlimited and unmerited love. This is the love which makes life possible, which gives each breath freely, which co-creates with us in making and remaking us and the world anew.
We diminish Grace when we think it is only for those who are part of the Christian 'club', or only for those who behave, look, act, think, sound, smell, a certain way (the way we want them to be, or our tradition says they should be). On the contrary, our Scriptures talk of grace as abundant, as given freely and without either the need for reciprocation or acknowledgement.
When we grasp the concept of Grace it demands a response - that something given so freely should be shared with all. This love which is expansive, affirming, welcoming, forgiving, generous calls us to be the same, in the way we treat others, in the way we treat ourselves, and in the way we see God. We are the beloved, invited to know fully love for ourselves, for others, and for the God of love, the God of Grace.
Therefore GOD waits to be gracious to you;
therefore God will rise up to show mercy to you.
For GOD is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for them.
Isaiah 30:18
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artwork - Reflection of Love by Freydoon Rassouli