Recently, the concept of grace has absolutely been blowing my mind. I've never been so thankful that God's favor is not earned. Trying to earn grace and favor is exhausting and does not guarantee anything. Both you and I live in a culture where individuals are encouraged to be good enough and adequate the eyes of our family, friends and faculty at our schools. Dependence on anyone or anything, including religion, is not stressed. Reliance on community and the help of others is often considered negative and needy. Because of the world we live in, we find ourselves believing the lie that it is our job to be good enough in the eyes of others. What we ultimately find is that the gift of grace is not viewed as a gift. On the contrary, grace is considered by many a great weakness. For the people who search most diligently, they will find that grace is like nothing other.

Grace is a concept often misinterpreted by Christians and non-Christians alike. The definition of grace changes so drastically depending on the context in which it is used. I strongly believe that whether we are aware of it or not, grace is a topic that is constantly on our minds and has been called into question among world leaders and individuals within a variety of communities.

In light of world events that have affected us directly and indirectly, grace seems even more difficult to grasp. The opportunity we have to choose grace during these times is so great. Grace tells us that not a single individual on this earth deserves God's favor. No sin (immoral action or word) is greater than another. Because of Jesus and because of grace we are able to choose love in these times where hate seems so prominent. This truth is the biggest blessing, and all we must do is choose to believe. God doesn't give us a checklist that must be completed to earn grace and His favor.

In biblical context, grace means that we deserve nothing. Nothing we've done and nothing that we will do could ever be good enough to pay for the sins we've committed in the past and the sins we will commit in the future. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that believes the lie that our good works eliminate the need of grace in our lives. Whether we see the truth or not, the reality is that Jesus wasn't born of a virgin or that He died an agonizing death on the cross because He wanted us to have good morals. Don't get me wrong, nothing is wrong with being a good person. However, what He did was out of so much love, and so much selflessness that he desires more than good works alone.

When I searched for the definition of grace on the Internet, this was the first result that came up: "Grace noun: 1. simple elegance or refinement of movement. 2. (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings." The gospel tells us that our love for God results in a desire to love people better. Good works are just that. Nothing more. Trying to be good enough is exhausting. With love for God and an understanding that it is only because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we do have the opportunity to choose a life confident that our sins are paid for; a life full of grace.