Grace That Holds Space

One of my favorite books of the Bible has quickly become Galatians…. Well, most of the New Testament, to be honest with you. 

Paul wrote this letter to the churches in Galatia to address controversy, confusion, and those trying to make following Jesus more about rules than about a relationship. Yet, woven through every chapter is one beautiful thread: grace.

Grace is unmerited favor. It's something we could never earn, never deserve, and never repay.

Paul reminds us that the Gospel, the Good News, and even grace itself aren't things our human minds will ever fully understand because they come from God. We'll never completely comprehend His kindness, His mercy, or the depth of His love.

In Galatians 1:15, Paul writes,

"But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace."

Before I took my first breath...

Before I made my first mistake...

Before I had anything to offer...

God chose me.

And if God chose me, then He chose you too.

There's something I say almost every Sunday, whether it's in the middle of my sermon or while I'm praying with our church:

You will never lay eyes on someone Jesus does not love.

Every person.

The easy ones.

The difficult ones.

The people who think like you.

The people who don't.

The people who have hurt you.

The people who are still figuring life out.

Jesus loves every single one of them.

So what does that have to do with grace?

Everything.

Grace doesn't rush to define people. It gives them room to become.

There's a reason I love the message of my husband Josh’s book, The Jonah Factor. At its heart is this beautiful reminder: grace doesn't wait for us to make it back to shore … it meets us in the deep. Long before Jonah had everything figured out, before his obedience was complete, before his story looked redeemable, God met him right where he was.

I think that's exactly how grace works. It doesn't rush us through our mess. It doesn't demand perfection before it offers love. It meets us where we are and gently calls us toward who we're becoming.

Grace doesn't rush to define people; it gives them room to become.

Just look at Paul….

Before he was Paul, he was Saul, a man who hunted Christians, imprisoned them, and approved of their deaths. If anyone seemed beyond redemption, it was him.

Then everything changed on the road to Damascus.

Jesus met him there.

Not with condemnation.

Not with revenge.

With grace.

Paul experienced one of the most radical transformations recorded in Scripture. The very man who once tried to destroy the Church became one of its greatest missionaries.

If anyone understood the power of grace, it was Paul.

And because we've received that same grace, we're called to extend it to others.

That doesn't mean we excuse sin.

It doesn't mean we ignore hurt.

It doesn't mean we pretend everything is okay.

It means we leave room for God to keep working in people the same way He is still working in us.

Paul says it this way in Colossians 3:12-13:

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.”

Maybe that's what grace really looks like.

It looks like holding space.

Holding space for the child who hasn't figured it out yet.

Holding space for the teenager whose attitude is hiding something deeper.

Holding space for the friend who keeps making mistakes.

Holding space for the person who wounded you.

Holding space because someone once held space for you.

The truth is, every single one of us is still becoming who God created us to be. None of us have arrived. We all have rough edges that He's still smoothing and chapters He's still writing.

So today, before you're quick to judge, criticize, or write someone off, remember this: you will never lay eyes on someone Jesus does not love. The same grace that found you is still pursuing them.

The God who met Jonah in the deep, Paul on the Damascus road, and me in my own brokenness, is still meeting people there today. Maybe our calling isn't to pull them out before they're ready … maybe it's simply to hold space while grace does what only grace can do.

May we become people whose lives make room for grace because grace made room for us.