I see you.

• I see you when you wear a bright smile, but you feel a strain of sadness inside.
• I see you when your life is full of good things, but you feel empty.
• I see you when your activities paint a picture of confidence, but insecurity fills you inside.
• I see you when you feel like you never measure up and when you feel invisible and inadequate.

These things are hidden in the fast pace of your everyday life. Sometimes you can ignore them because you always keep going. You always keep giving. You always keep doing more.

But other times, it wells up and you feel overwhelmed. It leaves you feeling utterly exhausted.

Yet, in the midst of all of that, there are truths that you know.

• You know that God is kind and merciful and full of love.
• You know the Bible contains the truth, and you believe what it says.
• You love Jesus, and you know God as your Father. Most importantly, you know that because of all Jesus has done for you there is forgiveness and new life.

But sometimes it’s hard to feel the security those things should to bring you. To understand this sort of love deep down inside takes something you just haven’t quite been able to grab on to yet.

I see these things because I’ve been there, too. Even in a life surrounded by people that loved and cared for me, a life full of good things and God’s provisions, I still felt all of the things I just described to you.

So I want you to know I see you, and grace does too.

And because of His grace, there are answers for you.

Over the summer we are going to be talking about how to take the graceful way out. We’re going to work on leaving some things behind. We’re going to walk some pathways that will lead us into more spacious places.

We’ll fill those places with grace, God’s kind of grace. His kind of grace is full of answers for us, especially if we deal with perfectionism.

Perfectionism keeps us all bound up, and it doesn’t leave any room for grace, especially not the kind of grace that sets us free and helps us see ourselves the way God sees us.

But fortunately, grace originates from the heart of God, and it’s been around a whole lot longer than our perfectionism.

I want you to remember something today, and it’s found right here in Ephesians 1:4-6 which says:

…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6, NKJV)

Look carefully at these words:

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV)

He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV)Click To Tweet

There’s a very important question answered within that verse.

Think about it. If we are chosen (and it tells us here we are), then that means God has given us grace. To choose us when we don’t deserve it (see Romans 3:23) is to lavish love upon us. That’s grace, friends, a very great grace.

Now, think about this question:

When did God start giving you grace?

• Was it when you started reading the Bible?
• Was it when you started praying and having quiet times?
• Was it when you first understood you needed Jesus?

No. It didn’t start with any of these things.

The Bible tells us that God’s grace began in our lives before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV)

Can you imagine that? God’s grace has been working itself out in our lives since before we ever came into existence here on earth, even before the foundation of the world. It’s too deep a concept to grasp, but it’s the truth from God’s Word.

Sisters, we have a God who has pursued us and is drawing us to Himself. He wants to be with us that much. He chose you and me, even before the creation of the world.

We are not an afterthought.

We are not an afterthought. God has been giving us His grace since before the world’s creation! Click To Tweet

Grace. It’s a profound thing. And it’s grace that is the key to overcoming many of the things in life that hold us back. So let’s let the impact of these verses soak in today:

• He chose us
• He chose us before the foundation of the world
• He adopted us as His sons and daughters by Jesus Christ
• He chose us because was His will and His pleasure to do so!
• We are accepted in the Beloved (Jesus).
• And all this is to the praise and glory of His grace!

 

 

 

Focus Verses
If you click on any of the verses inside this article, you will be directed to their respective pages at Bible Hub where you will find many free resources for more in-depth study.

Let’s Talk
Grace is a deep concept and has many facets. Do you have any questions about grace you’d like to share with us? Perhaps we could address them in future articles.

Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the grace you offer us through your Son, Jesus, a grace that originates from Your heart, a gift to be received. Helps us, Lord, to reach out and take hold of the gift of grace you have for us. Helps us to understand it because it sets us free. In Jesus name, Amen

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The post A Grace that Sees first appeared at www.journeytoimperfect.com.