The Exception

So, it's late and I am pretty tired, but I wanted to get these jumbled thoughts down. That being said, I apologize in advance if this post seems a little more disjointed than normal.

I don't think we focus enough on love, specifically God's love. Over and over again I am amazed at all of the ways in which God is so gracious to me, even while I am in the midst of hard things; Especially when I am in the midst of hard things.

I come across a scripture, or receive a kind word of encouragement or a selfless gesture from a friend. Today I heard something on the radio that struck me: Life is more than your everyday struggles.

We all face struggles of some sort on a daily basis. Some days I feel like it's a struggle from the very minute I open my eyes until I drift off to sleep at night. On those days, what am I doing to make a difference? On those day when I am a hot mess, how am I being the hands and feet of Jesus?

Lately, the prayer of my heart has been that I will be able to be others' centered in every area of my life. That I can hear God's nudging when He calls me to act and not make excuses. That I will trust Him when he calls me to plant a seed and I will not remain silent because I am fearful of how I am received.

In the movie, "He's Just Not That into You," one of the characters, Gigi, is desperately looking for love only to be told that in romance, she was the rule (not the exception). She was constantly dejected. At the end of the movie, this same guy falls in love with her and she then realizes that she was not the rule, but the exception after all.

We are exception, you see. We are the exception because of love. We are the exception because of grace. We are the exception because God loved us so much that He changed the rules and made a New Covenant with us.

Let us not treat others like the rule. Let us not be legalistic and hoard grace! It is not a mistake to lavish others with love, a love that is not ours to hold hostage or cheapen with rules that we create and deem important. It is not a mistake to respond with grace and to err so far on the side of grace that it costs us something to share it.

In a world of legality and demanding rules that confuse true love with ulterior motives and supplemental pages, how can we strip the excess away and return the focus solely back to Jesus and his transforming love?

I'm interested in your thoughts. So, share, why don't you?

Peace <3