Am I Worthy of Grace?

It's the end of a long day and I'm staring at the list of what I had hoped to accomplish. Let me just say that the majority of things on this list remain incomplete. 

And the things I did get done? Well, the one load of laundry that made it to the washing machine resulted in a puddle on my basement floor. The dough cycle on my bread machine produced a floury pile of goo that would in no way become edible by dinner. And I lost my temper with my son when he told me he lost his temper with a classmate at school today. (I know. The irony isn't lost on me either.)

Not one thing went according to plan. Not one meaningful thing was accomplished. I felt defeated. I felt like I had failed. Again.

(Please tell me you've had a day like that, too?)

Now if any one of my girlfriends were to call me and share the details of this day or post this as a Facebook status, I would immediately tell her that she's not expected to be Superwoman. She doesn't need to have it all together all the time. She should give herself a little grace.

But when I'm talking to myself it usually sounds more like this: "Why can't you get your act together? How difficult is it to do laundry, make dinner or be nice to your children? When will you ever get it right?"

Yes. Grace is reserved for everyone. Except for me. At least that's how it plays out in my mind, time and time again.

I'm a mess. I screw things up. A lot. Things in my life are far from perfect. And because of all that, I tell myself, I don't deserve grace.

But can I let you in on a secret? None of us "deserves" it. That's why it's called grace. It's unearned, undeserved favor that God extends freely to each one of us.

We are all messy, screwed up, imperfect people. Nevertheless, we are all still worthy of grace - grace given to us by God, grace given to us by others, grace given to us by ourselves.

It's a lesson I'm learning every day, albeit a bit slowly. But I'm giving myself grace in the process. Or at least I'm trying to!

So, friends, can we help each other out?

Can we remind each other that even though we don't deserve grace, we are worthy of it?

And can we remind ourselves that although our imperfections won't ever go away, neither will God and His never ending grace?

I don't know about you, but that's enough for me to take another look at today's list ... tomorrow.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Melissa Hucal and her husband Michael live in Illinois with their 2 boys. She is the Marketing Director for Hearts at Home (Jill Savage) and the publisher of Macaroni Kid Peoria. Melissa is just dipping her toe in writing and hopes to launch her own blog. She is also a featured speaker at the What's Your Story? Women's Conference this fall in Pittsburgh, PA.

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