Grace is one of those words that has niggled in the back of my head my entire Christian life. It seems to have several meanings and sometimes it seems to have no meaning, like a catchall word in the Christian vocabulary.

I have no difficulty understanding the concept of what is, to me, the primary meaning of grace, that I do not deserve and did nothing to earn the gift of God’s salvation for me. I totally get that grace is the fruit of God’s love for us.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

My confusion has set in when grace takes on other meanings, like asking for God’s grace in a situation, or we say grace before a meal. Merriam-Webster provides the following definition of grace (along with others):

• Unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
• A virtue coming from God
• A state of sanctification, enjoyed through divine grace
• Approval, favor
• Mercy, pardon
• A special favor: privilege
• Disposition to or an act or instance for kindness, courtesy, or clemency
• Temporary exemption

So according to this definition, grace could mean favor, temporary exemption, mercy, pardon, privilege, and kindness. So in a way, grace is used as a catchall. When I look at the scriptural use, I like to translate grace as favor.

You might want to play with replacing the definitions from above for the word grace in the scriptures below.

Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

James 4:6: “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

One Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

John 1:16: “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

So when someone in church says, pray for God’s grace in this situation, what do they mean? Do they want mercy, favor, approval, a temporary exemption, a special privilege, or pardon? Most of those are such different requests in my mind. Is it just a Christian buzzword?

I saw a movie recently that has a wonderful story of grace lived out in the lives of Christians. Through this movie, Grace Card, the power of love is demonstrated. Not a birds tweeting in the trees, sunshine and butterflies kind of love, but the down and dirty, real kind of love that is based upon a decision, where you love because it is the right thing to do whether you feel it or not. The turn-the-other-cheek kind of love that God blesses because you did it out of love for Him. You love the person even when:

• he cheats you out of money
• she steals from you
• he calls you mean names
• you never measure up in his eyes
• she thinks she’s better than you are
• he thinks you are stupid
• she thinks you are inferior
• he thinks you are ugly
• he gossips about behind your back
• she caused you to lose your job

I think I understand grace better today than I did when I started thinking about it a few weeks ago. Grace isn’t a prayer you say before you eat. Grace is the fruit of love. Just like God’s grace to me is the fruit of His love to me, through Jesus Christ (Romans 5). Through my obedience in loving those whom it is not easy to love, grace is produced. God can work through that grace to bring them to Him, bring glory to Him, and maturity to me.

Lord, thank you for your love. Show me how to love. Let me see others through your eyes rather than through my own hurts and pain so that I can feel your compassion for them. Help me to show your love and grow the fruit of grace.

Karen Sleeth

Karen Sleeth has lived in North Carolina for 27 years. Karen is asking the hard questions in 2011, trusting God for the answers (even when they are uncomfortable), relying on faith in the face of EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN, and believing Him for miracles because he promised Mark 16:17