DEVOTION: Perfect Grace

By Leila Halawe

If you have been around church for a while, you likely would have heard someone say something along the lines of, ‘I need Jesus every day to get through.’ When I first started going to church 10 years ago, I used to find that statement a little odd however as the years went on, it started to make sense and I started to understand it. Until a couple of years ago, when I found myself completely disagreeing with it. I had reached a point where I didn’t feel that I needed Jesus every day but every hour. Fast forward a few more years and I am finding that I need Him every minute.  Day to day, I find myself leaning on Jesus a lot more to get through what the day is throwing at me, whether it is good or bad.

I am also finding that I am learning to lean into His grace. More recently, I found myself having to relearn what grace looked like as I had not only forgotten how to accept it but also how to extend it. And the person that I forgot how to extend it to was myself.

If you are anything like me, it is easier to be kinder to others than myself. I find it a whole lot easier to be gracious and forgiving to others than I do to myself and as such I am my biggest critic. But God in His mercy and grace has been helping me shift that a little. And by a little, I mean He has smacked me across the head with it.  Over the last few months, I have found myself lacking the grace for myself that I easily extended to others and I have had to relearn it; I have had to step back and allow myself to get up. To sit at His feet and just be, me. To stop striving to be strong or perfect or needed or anything other than what I truly am, a flawed girl loved by a perfect Heavenly Father.

We can so easily find ourselves striving to be better, to do more, be more to more people, but more than anything, Jesus wants us to just be. I found myself taking the posture of Martha and running around trying to be all things to all people when what I really needed was to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus. To be present and listen to His sweet whisper. To rest in His grace that is freely given. Instead, I found myself struggling with emotions and slips ups and stumbles and all that lead to a feeling of defeat. Sound familiar? Yeah, I hear you.

But God. No matter what season we are in, God always shows up.

In His infinite mercy and love, God met me where I was and covered me with His grace. He poured His love out and reminded me that I am an imperfect child that is perfectly loved by a perfect Father. And that was all I needed, then, now and in the days to come. His grace is freely given to us, we are to just accept it and it is more than enough. In our weakness, His grace is sufficient. In our joy, His grace is sufficient. In all things and all seasons, His grace is sufficient for us and is all we need to get through. May His grace permeate your heart and soul today and bring you the peace and joy that only comes from knowing Jesus. 

Leila (Lays) Halawe is a Sydney based coffee loving nonfiction writer and blogger. She has published a short devotional, Love By Devotion (https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Devotion-Finding-Comfort-Through-ebook/dp/B010607E6Q), and shares her views on life and faith via her blog page Looking In (www.misslays.com). You can connect with her via Facebook at Leila Halawe Author (https://www.facebook.com/misslays/) 

and via Twitter at Leila Halawe (@LHalawe).

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

By Elaine Fraser

Last year, I began the year with huge intentions—completing two in-progress novels and writing another one. I published one, but stalled on the other two.

In August, I came back from a Margie Lawson Immersion Class filled with motivation and tools, ready to smash out the last 30 000 words of a contemporary women’s fiction novel. Instead, my aunt had a traumatic accident and life was put on hold for the next couple of months while the family cared for her.

I’d also agreed to work on a book for a school I used to teach at, and the job turned out to be bigger than I expected. There were other projects as well involving my husband’s work and I realised I hadn’t had a day off for months.

By October, I was burnt out and I found myself in a downward spiral.

On the outside, my life looked perfect. On the inside, I was a mess.

I retreated. I stopped taking calls, avoided people, read Present over Perfect by Shauna Niequist, listened to Touch the Sky by Hillsong United, prayed and gave myself permission and space to heal.

I attended a Christian writer’s retreat and got some space to pray, think and learn.

I went to a friend’s home for a week and retreated with a group of friends. We talked, laughed, shared, prayed and wrote. We were there to write, but I found pieces of my soul I thought were lost.

As I drew near to Him, as I made room for Him, He drew near.

It’s taken a few months to work through what happened and why my physical and mental health crashed so badly. Some of it was due to the side-effects of medicines, some was exhaustion, and some due to not tending my spiritual health.

Every January first, my husband and I buy a kikki.K year planner and plot out events, adventures and work commitments. We’ve also started plotting out space in our schedules.

Space for rest.

Space for retreat.

Space for God to move in our lives.

It’s just not about planning the big things in our lives, it’s about making space in the everyday. In the everyday, we need to build a rhythm that works for us.

The wide-open spaces of a new year lie before us and it's important to make space to retreat and renew regularly.

Writing is not just a cerebral activity without any context. Family, work, responsibilities, illness, exhaustion, volunteering, study, and travel all swirl around us and impact our work.

Let's aim to build the unforced rhythms of grace into our lives in 2017.