Voices rose with bold resolutions; the room pounded with claims of new diets, structured athletic plans and mending childhood friendships. I heard the echo of achieving Scripture reading journeys, selfless job commitments, and Bible memorization goals–all of which are beautiful opportunities for forming healthy habits.
However, amid these bold claims, I heard a still whisper utter the simple words ‘grow in grace.’ Tuning into the sweet voice over the clamor of the room proved a blessing itself. At that moment I witnessed the intimate and transformative gift in pursuing a mundane New Years’ resolution instead of an elaborate and structured commitment. It was in this moment that I learned how God hungers to invite me into both the big and little moments of life with Him.
A still whisper, seeking a posture of faithfulness and pursuing God’s goodness in the presence of His grace gifts, is truly a gift from the King of Kings.
Grace gifts are unrequired, undeserved blessings, rooted in the Lord, yielding hope and deliverance in a broken and fallen world. They are joys found in the mundane, visible through a lens in tune to God’s steps. We can learn of the importance of being rooted in Christ through Ephesians 3:17-18 which says, “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
In Genesis 39:23 we read, “The LORD was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor.” This verse highlights a valuable lesson as it follows Joseph, a man of whom every earthly possession and position had been stripped away, yet He sought God’s presence, and this was enough. Trapped in a well, Joseph faithfully obeyed God. Stuck in an impossible scenario with Potiphar’s wife, Joseph obeyed God. Locked behind bars in an Egyptian prison, Joseph obeyed God. His faithfulness to the Father was etched with the beauty of a sweet and silent obedience. Joseph’s discipline demonstrates the echoing voice of quiet faithfulness.
This advent season, above turmoil and noise, despite trials and temptations, behind locked doors and down deep wells, how can you be a Jospeh and faithfully pursue God, recognizing His precious grace gifts in your life?
Choosing Christ above the chaos may seem a natural and simple task, as many are surrounded by loved ones and those we hold dear, this holiday season. However, when the high of the season fades and the normal returns, how can you magnify glory upon the Father, in both the noisy and mundane moments?
This Christmas season, allow Christ to dwell on the throne of your life and find His grace to be sufficient, despite the world’s ever-increasing push of striving personal gain. Rest in who you are in Christ, a child of the King of Kings. He delights in you because you are in Him. Your fulfillment of obedience cannot change His love for you, but His promises pave the way for our surrendered faithfulness. What a God. What a grace.
Anna Claire Waddell – Class 20 Fellow