But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2Corinthians 12:9

This morning I woke up to thinking God’s grace is sufficient. I awoke last night and could not go back to bed. Fiddling with my phone I saw a WhatsApp message from a niece “Aunty you awake?”. It seems I was waiting for this call.  We had a lo-ong talk.  As we exchanged thoughts and I helped her to see God in what was happening, the words did not come but thinking back if I were to summarize our conversation it would be God’s grace is sufficient Everything since waking aligns to God’s grace being sufficient.  Grace we very often say is God’s undeserved favour.  I consider grace much more than that. It is the inner strength that constantly and continuously allows us to do and to be more than we first thought possible. It is the power of God to make a change in our lives and in the lives of others.  God gives us grace to respond to God in humility and lovingkindness. We in turn should have grace enough to respond to others in humility and lovingkindness. In Romans 1:5 Paul says we got grace to call others into obedience.

God’s grace is sufficient to get us through the dark times, when we cannot see where to put our foot, or when we have to decide which stone will provide better support as we climb a hill.  God’s grace is also sustaining as we do well, as we see clearly the path that God has laid out for us. 

Grace is a gift from God that allows us to care for others.  We care whether or not the person deserves it.  Grace is placing others on the same footing as yourself.   We care because God cared for us and we understand that as God’s image bearer we too must care as unreservedly as we are able.  I qualify this, because there are times when we genuinely want to help but are not able. If we are persons who examine our behaviour we maybe feel badly. But we should not feel bad in those situations, but be gracious to ourselves and forgive ourselves for not doing better.

There are so many bible passages about God’s grace and how it extends far and wide.  There is a movement called Gracism which focuses on the inclusion of others. It provides strength and guidance in America where racism is rife.  We here in Jamaica may not suffer because of our colour, but there are so many other ways that people exclude us, or in which we feel excluded. God’s grace is enough to carry us through, when we feel deserted, excluded and alone.  The psalmist says God is ever present.  May we be mindful of this. Understanding that Christ is with us, Christ is before us, Christ is in us, Christ is over us. Christ is all around  and where God is all is well. All will be well. All manner of things will be well.