And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Romans 8:28 is my life scripture. It has been the one verse that has carried me through so many different seasons of my life. It is personal. I am the called and I love God. One of the things that has been an intricate part of my spiritual journey is the truth that nothing in my life shocks God. I know that may sound like common sense, however there have been events in my life that have completely taken me by surprise. There have also been things that seem like have held up my life’s progress. It is comforting to remember that God knows it all, and is concerned about all of the parts and pieces of my life including my timeline.
Comparison Opens the Door to Envy
Sometimes life can feel overwhelming when you start to compare where you are or what you still need to do against other people’s life. This maybe isn’t an everyday concern, but it happens from time to time. I am guilty of looking at some of the things I have yet to complete, and even some of the dreams and desires I have that have not happened yet that other people are actively doing or enjoying. In that place of comparison it can seem like everyone else is on schedule or even further along, and I am late.
I know that comparison is foolish and it can open the door to envy. If I dig deeper into it, and am honest with myself, usually at the root of those feelings is the lie that I am somehow behind my own schedule. I am comparing my now to the expectations I have for my own life, not anyone else’s.
Today as I was reminded and reassured how my grace pace is so personal. No matter what things haven’t worked out, or what people, and even opportunities God has said no to, I am still right on time. I am right where I am supposed to be. At the end of the day, I don’t want an average life, I WANT AN EXCELLENT LIFE! I don’t want average happiness or blessings, I WANT EXCELLENT HAPPINESS AND BLESSINGS! That alone, is worth waiting and staying within my grace pace.
What is Grace Pace?
Grace includes the personal salvation experience we have access to, but it is also more than that. Grace is also an aspect of God’s divine enablement or ability that He places over our lives. It is strength that can help us to accomplish our purpose in life, and also to continue in a task or situation. I think of it in terms of God working in us and giving us this supernatural assistance that makes the load we are carrying to become bearable. It’s an unexplainable strength or resilience inside of us.
Pace includes the rhythm and timing of our individual lives. That pace takes into consideration our age and our unique personality. Pace includes the components of our temperament, and how it was designed to for our purpose. Pace is not set by the standard of by society norms, but by what we were put on this earth to accomplish.
Noah Found Grace
What does grace pace look like in a practical way? Let’s look at a man named Noah. Genesis 6:8 tells us that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. That grace included an assignment that required him to build an ark for the saving of his family and a delegation of living creatures on the earth. His grace or divine enablement required an aptitude for construction, faith, and project management. His pace required him to be diligent and patient. It is said that it took somewhere around 100-120 years to complete that assignment. That was some kind of incredible grace pace. We are no different than Noah. God does not give us life assignments that we are not capable of completing.
Redeeming the Time
If you have ever felt frustrated or even worried that your life is late, or that it’s not where it should be, remember this, God’s peace is perfectly dispensed when we stay in rhythm with His will for our lives. We can certainly by our disobedience or fearful inaction get out of God’s timing. However, Ephesians 5:16 tells us that we can also redeem the time. That is another way that the grace or supernatural help of God can help us to actually make up for lost time, and in some unexplainable way do more in a shorter period of time.
I believe the take away from this is that God is in control of all of it. Our times and seasons are in God’s hands and it is all working for our good. We can remain in confident faith that we are not late and we are not going to miss out on what is for us. And every day that we wake up we are blessed with a fresh measure of mercies to continue in our grace pace.