We hear about "grace" all the time.

"Oh, that's just a grace to feel that way!" "Wow, what a grace!"

But what does that mean?

Grace isn't exactly something that can be pinpointed--but when you feel it, you know exactly what it is. It is a fluid. It can be applied to anything and everything, and every sort of situation. It can be found in peace when you visit a college that overwhelms you with a feeling of home. It can be described as the joy that overcomes you while grabbing coffee with a lifelong friend over Christmas break after not seeing them all semester. You can even find grace in the unknown, wondering what score you'll get on your MCAT...or maybe how that dream job interview will go...or maybe you find grace being completely okay with your vision for the future being completely foggy. Grace overcomes us when we least expect it: in the most unlikely of circumstances.

We expect gut-wrenching fear at the thought of that fate-determining test, sweaty palms in the waiting room of a potential career, and distress over deciding "what the hell I'm doing with my life."

We feel impending doom the minute we lose trust. Whether you place trust in a higher power, the Lord above, your friends, or your family--whoever or whatever it may be that you lean on during the unknown--we find peace knowing we are never alone. Faith and trust go hand in hand, meaning we lose faith the minute we lose trust. Faith is a gift, and so is grace. However, the difference lies in grace being rooted in faith and trust. When we trust, we become open to all there is: the possibilities, opportunities, paths, etc. But without trust, we are rust. We're brittle, worn-down, always about to break. Without trust in something other than ourselves, we rely solely on ourselves and the unreachable expectations we place on ourselves. We'll die miserably trying to get that perfect test score or create a blueprint for the rest of our lives when others are busy living. They're living their lives in absolute trust and reliance on something beyond their own understanding.

So, get busy living. Break down the walls you build around yourself and let grace flood your being. Let grace move you--not only within you, but through you, as well. Let yourself be enveloped with grace given from the Lord above. Let yourself live without fear of the future, because that isn't promised. Become open to anything and everything out there, because those blueprints can quickly turn to shreds.

We don't ask for gifts on Christmas or our birthdays, but people love us enough to try to symbolize that love in a gift of some sort. Let God give us those same gifts we call "grace." He loves us so much He'll try to encapsulate His love for us in the gifts He showers upon us. Grace, peace, joy, etc. We feel because we are alive--even a shattered heart gives us a glimpse of our humanity because we hope in something that wasn't meant to be. But these shattered pieces create paths to roads we are meant to travel.

So, stop worrying and start living. Let grace set you free. Let it guide you, and you'll never be misled.