her royalty...

Grace is queen.

Why the difficulty? Why the resistance? Why the avoidance? A religiously spoken word has never been more silent in the poetry of our day. Something so beautiful and magnificent seems a fairy tale in a culture of pain and bitterness. Tapestries of defense are woven everyday over broken relationships, torn marriages and interpersonal conflict. But She is quiet. Not because She chooses to be, but her people have chosen to give her no power over the selfish ambition of their hatred. They lead lives of anger and distrust, roaming about the world with no connection outside of their pain. They are lonely. They are miserable. They are chained.

Nothing quenches love quite like the absence of grace. We are a people hurt and lonely because of our rejection. We choose bitterness over contentment, war over peace and hate over love. This grace we claim from Christ himself is not lavished upon others. Do we have a hard time accepting his grace? I guess claiming it subscribes us to the Christian system, but does not sustain us through our pain. If we truly accept grace, it changes us. We can no longer feel sorry for ourselves, cast a judgement on another, or even hold onto the mistakes of the past. And our response to this grace is its constant outpouring to others.

Forgiveness is her sister.

"Forgive and forget" might win as the worst statement of the century. Anyone who has been hurt knows that the pain of the past is not easily forgettable. But the source of our pain must be forgiven. Not only is it commanded by Christ, but our well-being hinges on our ability to forgive. When we choose forgiveness, we release our grip on the chains of bitterness. When we choose forgiveness, we release our transgressor's right to control our joy. When we choose forgiveness, we release Satan's right to have power in our lives. When we choose forgiveness, we experience freedom. The freedom Jesus talks about. Not a freedom from future pain, but a release from our past, our mistakes and our fears. We can then walk with our heads held high. We are then able to accept and give grace freely. And until then- we will never experience true joy and happiness.

Accept grace.
Forgive your past and others.
Experience freedom.