for a long time, I was confused about what exactly the term "grace" meant. to me, it was just this abstract term that somehow got us salvation, but I didn't really know how. I understood that me + christ's grace = eternal life & happiness, but I didn't understand how or what even this grace was. I knew it was good, I knew it was something I wanted to strive for, but how can you strive for something if you don't know what it is?
as the years went by and I had lessons on this grace, I began to understand it. I even gave a lesson in young womens on grace, even though I still didn't completely know what it was, and, as the saying goes, I the teacher learned a lot from my own lesson. but until today, I never realized just how amazing and wonderful the grace of christ actually is.
(( as a side-note, mission prep is amazing, and if you can, attend it. all of my notes and thoughts today come from a mission prep lesson by my wonderful teacher brother jones, and a video he shared with us by brad wilcox ))
so, for starters, there's often a misconception about grace: that it's christ filling in the rest. we do all that we can, and at the end, christ finishes whatever we could not.
but that's not really how it is at all. jesus christ doesn't make up the difference between where we are and where we need to be, jesus is all the difference. grace is not meant to fill gaps, it is meant to fill us.
but then, if jesus has already done everything, has already made up all the difference, then what is there left for us to do?
you can compare it to a piano teacher, a mother, and the mother's child learning to play piano. the mother pays the piano teacher in full so that the child can learn piano. the mother then in turn asks the child to practice piano, so that she can become better at it. the child practicing piano doesn't pay the piano teacher, doesn't reimburse the mother for paying for those lessons. in no way could the girl pay back her mother for those lessons. but by practicing piano, it brings joy to the mother because the little girl is becoming a better pianist and experiencing a happier aspect of life.
christ has already paid for our sins in full. he paid it all, it is finished. he has made up the difference. but what he asks of us in return is to use his atonement, that which he has paid the price for. us using the atonement doesn't repay christ. we can't repay him - in no way could we ever do that. his act of love was too great to ever be equaled by anything. but we can show our gratitude by accepting his gift, and practicing. we are asked to repent NOT to repay christ for suffering for our sins - but so we can live a better life, become better, and change.
because, you see, the point of grace isn't about being saved (wonderful as that may be), it's about changing and becoming like the savior. the question is not, 'have you been saved by grace?' that answer is easy. oh, yes, thank goodness I have. of course. my savior atoned for my sins and died on the cross of calvary so that I could be saved. the question is rather, 'have you been CHANGED by grace?'
grace is christ changing us into something better than we ever thought we could be.
honestly, today's mission prep was just so good and wonderful and exactly what I needed. I'm not a super good explainer of things, so I would encourage you to go watch brad wilcox's video on grace, because it is AMAZING.
some other miscellaneous notes I took today:
- when a young pianist hits a wrong note, she is not then deemed unworthy to practice; it is only expected o her to keep trying. when we make a mistake in life or mess up, that doesn't mean we are no longer worthy to utilize christ's atonment in our lives. it only means we need to repent and keep trying. practice makes perfect.
- we are not earning heaven. we are learning it, practicing it.
- if jesus didn't require practice, then we would never become pianists.
- our options are not limited to playing in carnegie hall or quitting. we don't have to be perfect right now, we just have to be trying.
- no unclean thing can dwell with god, and no unchanged thing would even want to.
- christ is not waiting at the finish line. he is with us ALL THE WAY.
- grace isn't a booster to our fuel, it is our fuel. it's not the light at the end of the tunnel, it's the light that's guiding us through to the end.
- grace is like the rising sun. we did nothing to deserve the light that it gives or the fact that it rises each day. even when we mess up, the sun will rise. it is inevitable. we do not earn grace. it is a gift given to us and will always be there for us, even when we make mistakes. "grace shall be as your day."
"the savior empowers us with his grace, not because we'eve earned it, but because he loves us perfectly."