Living Freely and LightlySample

Accepting Jesus’s Invitation to Learn the Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Will you do something with me? Hold your arms outstretched in front of you with your hands firmly fisted, thumbs pointing down. Now turn your hands over and open them up. I remember standing on my front porch doing this one summer morning when I needed a physical reminder of the spiritual work that was happening inside. It is a helpful way to visualize the transformation taking place in you. Take a moment to acknowledge the growth. You’ve moved from tightly grasping the things you thought would bring you satisfaction to a place of surrender, with hands wide open.

So, what now? Well, if you’ve ever cleaned out a junk drawer, you know how this next part goes. Once you pull everything out—the stacks of half-used sticky notes, piles of pens, scissors, broken pencils, crinkled receipts, stray rubber bands, and batteries that you’re not sure are new or used—you keep what you need and toss the rest.

You could push in the cleaned-out drawer and move along, but you know it’s only a matter of time before it junks itself right back up. Instead, you must find a new method of organization, perhaps with dividers or containers or labels. So you adopt a better way of using the junk drawer to make it less junky. The same is true of your heart, mind, and soul.

Now is the beautiful part (my personal favorite!), where new thoughts, beliefs, and ways of living refill those open hands. Jesus has set a cadence and invites you to follow his example to live a restful, purposeful, peace-filled life. And as you do, something incredible happens: Your vision of who you are, who God is, and what a truly satisfying life looks like begins to line up with Jesus’s vision of these same things.

This is an invitation to learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

God, what a kind and loving God you are. You cover my inadequacies with grace through Jesus, so when you look at me, you see a beautiful reflection. Thank you for calling me out of the dark and into your wonderful light. Lord, remind me when I look to the world, to my efforts, and to my past for my value that you alone are the true source of all joy, peace, and hope. Instead of giving me a checklist to complete, you ask me to be with you. Thank you for your provision of everything I need and for showing me how to walk in step with you. Amen.