God of Grace

Sometimes, we know the definition of a word, but we don't think about its connection to other words. Take, for example, the word disease. We conceptualize this as sickness, as something wrong, as something infectious or broken. But we do not often think of its component parts - dis-ease. Not being at ease. Being off-balance somehow, being out of sorts. 

The infectious is a dis-ease of our body system. 

But we don't think of it like that. Because we are used to thinking of disease as its own thing, a concrete idea all in its own. 

The same is true with the idea of disgrace. 

We have a concept of what this word means. It is its own concrete thing to be disgraced. To be embarrassed. To be ashamed. To be called out. To be wrong, usually in a very public way. 

So when I read Proverbs 13 and I see that failure to accept God's correction leads to disgrace, I think about all the ways that my own rebelliousness has led to some very public failures. Embarrassments. Shames. Callings out. Obviously, if I had been listening to God better (or..obeying better), I probably could have avoided most of those things. Many of them, anyway. 

But then, suddenly, I read Proverbs 13 again and the emphasis in my head changes. The way my mind processes the word is different. It strikes me in a new way. It's not disgrace as I know it. 

It's dis-grace. 

The opposite of grace. 

Failure to accept God's correction leads to a lack of His grace.

And listen. Grace...is amazing. I have lived that. I want all of that I can get. I will take every ounce of grace God wants to pour out on me. And if that means that I have to listen to (or...obey) God's correction, then correct me, Lord. Show me the errors of my ways. Teach me. Guide me. Discipline me.

Just keep pouring that grace out on me.