Grace!

There is a wonderful fragrance by Philosophy called Grace. I tried it on in Sephora because I loved the name. I bought some because it smells SO SO SO SO good!
It has been sitting in the bathroom by my sink since before Christmas. The bottle has been empty for over a month now, but I have kept the bottle so that I wouldn't forget the name and to remind me to buy more.
This morning as I was getting ready for work - I noticed that there was writing on the back of the bottle. Hmmmm.......

It says: "How you climb DOWN the mountain is just as important as how you climb UP the mountain. It all comes down to Grace."

I found that very interesting. The biblical meaning of Grace as I have always understood it is God's undeserved favor; you didn't earn it, you didn't deserve it, you will never be able to earn it and you will never deserve it. It's a free gift - just accept it.

I guess the philosphy of the fragrance, Grace, could be the same as the Grace that Jesus provides, but I decided to look up Webster's definition of Grace to compare. I found that the definitions are the same, but different.

Webster says that Grace is: elegance, refinement, lovliness, beauty, poise, charm - the opposite of Grace is awkwardness. It also means: kindness, decency, favor, mercy, charity -- the opposite of Grace is unkindness. It also means: blessing, prayer and thanksgiving. The meanings mentioned so far are for Grace when it is a noun (person, place or thing) When Grace is a verb - it's meaning according to Webster is: adorn, enhance, beautify - the opposite he says, is to deface. And the last meaning of Grace when used as a verb (our actions) is dignify, honor, favor and distinguish - the opposite is demean.

WOW! What a powerful word - GRACE!


When I look back over my 56 years, I have to say that I can recall several mountains that I have climbed up and come back down when my method was awkward and unkind, and I defaced and demeaned the mountain in the process - the opposite of Grace was my method. None of those accomplishments/events made me or make me feel good about myself. I have had to do a LOT of apologizing and repenting and begging for mercy and forgiveness. It is never fun to admit being wrong - it is never easy to admit when our motives are less than pure and right. I have found that the mountains I climbed and/or came down without Grace, have always ended up hurting me or people that I love, or both, over the long haul.

Sometimes the mountains we choose to climb do not bring us what we believed we would receive when we got to the top. When we climb mountains for the wrong reasons, we hurt ourselves as well as others - usually innocent other people; good people, folks that were just living their life (often times with GRACE and dignity) When we choose to climb mountains for the wrong reasons - it is always with purely selfish motives -we aren't thinking about anyone but ourself and what we want. I don't think we ever intentionally start out to hurt another - we are just trying to get whatever it is that we want and think will make us happy. Climbing up or down a mountain without GRACE is always - "all about me!"

Sometimes when we climb down a mountain without Grace, a mountain that we should have never climbed, we are actually trying to protect ourselves by defacing and demeaning the mountain! We are too ashamed to admit that it is our fault - that we were wrong - that our motives were less than pure - we are trying to save ourself and not have to admit that we messed up.
Admitting mistakes is a humbling experience! However, once we have admitted our mistake, apologized and asked and received forgiveness, it is absolutely an exhilarating experience! It feels so good to be forgiven and to be free of guilt and shame! We can then walk with our head held high - above reproach - forgiven and free!!!!

The opposite is to walk forward carrying guilt and shame - always trying to hide it, but never able to forget it. Internalized guilt and shame will lead to anger, depression & deceitfulness, causing us to weave tangled webs of lies and shame. We will continue to always blame others - and never accept responsibility for our own actions. We might even think that if we ignore it, it will go away. I can promise you that guilt and shame will NEVER go away - it will haunt you forever and lead to more and more and more guilt and shame.
You cannot escape yourself! You will never be able to approach God's throne of mercy and grace while you are carrying guilt and shame! God will allow you to approach, He will never turn us away - that is what HIS MERCY and GRACE is all about! However, we will not allow ourself to approach HIS throne - we will feel unworthy and dirty and therefore not participate in God's FREE GIFT OF GRACE AND MERCY AND FORGIVENESS!
YOU SEE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO FORGIVE OURSELF (without God's help) - Even though we are forgiven (if we asked), we will not feel forgiven and will continue to wallow in guilt and shame and self-hate and never walk in the abundant life that God has provided for us!

Oh my my....... it is such a vicious circle!

I love the following scripture and have TESTED it - it is true! God said it!

Deuteronomy 30:1-20
"I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your decendants may have life, loving The Lord your God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which The Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Issac, and to Jacob, to give them."

God sets it before us: LIFE AND DEATH, BLESSING AND CURSE - then He tells us to CHOOSE LIFE!!!!! By choosing GRACE, you choose to live and experience God's abundant life! OUR CHOICE not only affects OUR life but that of our children and grandchildren, our decendents. What POWER WE HOLD! The GREATEST gift we can give to our children and our grandchildren is to choose GRACE - choose LIFE!

Here is the GOOD NEWS: IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE ON THE MOUNTAIN, CLIMBING UP OR CLIMBING DOWN, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO CHANGE AND ACCEPT GRACE! We can CHOOSE to accept God's Grace! Did you hear me??? It is a CHOICE and we are the CHOOSER!

SO - Choose Life! Choose to live and walk by GRACE = elegance, refinement, lovliness, beauty, poise, charm, kindness, decency, favor, mercy, charity, blessing, prayer, thanksgiving, adorn, enhance, beautify, dignify, honor, favor and distinguished!

Hmmm... I didn't know that I was going to preach to myself today! It all started because I was curious about what my fragrance bottle had to say about Grace.

God can use anything to make His Word alive and to teach us!

Father, please forgive me for the mountains that I have climbed up and/or down without Grace and please heal and restore anyone that I may have hurt, defaced or demeaned in the process. Father, help me to walk and climb in your LOVE and MERCY and GRACE everyday!