Take It!

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Every summer, my family would make the six-hour drive from Wytheville, VA down to Chesapeake, VA to stay with my grandmother for two weeks. Anne Gillette was a wise, amazing lady, whose influence is still felt daily by our family, even though she passed away more than a decade ago. Grandmother was strong. She was wise. She was also very opinionated, and she made her beliefs known!

Grandmother spent her days giving perms, crimps, and curls to the ladies of Deep Creek in the beauty salon down the hall from her kitchen and living room.

I’ll never forget her very strong opinion that boys and men should NOT have long hair. So of course every time we would come to visit, she would gladly give me a haircut. 

One day after the clippers were put away and the cowlick was revealed again, Grandmother handed me a crisp five dollar bill. “Thank you for letting me cut your hair,” she grinned.

Understandably confused, I wondered why she was paying me to cut my hair? 

I tried to give the money back to her, but she flatly refused. “David,” Grandmother said, “when someone who loves you gives you something, you smile, you say thank you and you take it.” 

Grandmother’s words still resonate with me today. Sometimes gifts can be hard to accept when we don’t feel like we deserve them. So we push them aside or try to give them back. 

Jesus has given us the amazing gift of His grace. We don’t deserve it, yet He still showers this gift on us daily. He loves you and me more than we can possibly understand. 

His grace is free. Don't make it complicated. Smile, say thank you, and accept this grace that He is giving to us. 

After you receive His grace, then take all the time you need to read Scripture, pray, meditate, and seek to understand.  

But the gift is simple, so don’t over complicate it. Jesus loves you. He wants you to have it. He wants you to enjoy it. Take it!

Lord Jesus, help me to receive the grace You are generously giving to me. Thank You for this amazing gift. I receive it with joy and gratitude.