Grace & Truth
What is so important about grace & truth when it comes to healing and transforming growth? Together grace and truth embody love in action…love that makes room for growth and changes that heal. Often when we think of grace, we think of ease or a free pass without accountability. Anything goes and it’s all good. There is an aspect of ease and acceptance in grace. It’s the gift of “being accepted before we become acceptable” (Lewis Smedes).
However, that’s only part of the story. Grace is not settling for status quo. It’s unmerited favor that actually makes room for truth and “what can be” without shame. It involves leaning into the truth with the hope of transformation and freedom. There is promise connected with grace!
That’s where truth comes in. Truth illuminates. Like a mirror, it reflects. It reveals blind spots, places that remain twisted and encrusted in distorted perceptions about life, ourselves, and others. Throughout our lives, stuff happens. Some things are beyond our control. Others are of our own making. Along the way, we do our best to make meaning of what is happening. We form beliefs that protect us and help us survive.
The problem is the meanings we make don’t always come from a place of truth. Maybe we believe lies others or circumstances have told us for as long as we remember. Don’t trust. Keep quiet. Don’t feel. Don’t need. You don’t belong. You must be in control. You have no control. Your worth depends on…You don’t matter or…(fill in the blank). We began to believe stories that are missing some key elements. Truth opens our eyes to see things differently, to shine light into places that remain hidden and keep us from thriving.
Just like grace isn’t a free pass, truth is not judgement that shames and devalues. Truth challenges and inspires. Truth is an invitation to transformation. Leaving the constraints of old ways behind and opening ourselves to truth requires a tremendous amount of courage and is never meant to be embarked on without the gift of grace (and support). When we come face to face with some truths about ourselves, our lives, we can feel discouraged and sometimes despair. Truth can hurt. But when grace is there, we can accept the truth revealed with the hope of healing and transformation.
Some of us err on the side of truth. Others are more comfortable with grace. Why not begin the journey of both grace and truth today, and rebuild foundations that lead to a life of freedom and joy?
