God gives us blessings to bless others. The same goes for grace as well. A blessing becomes true when we share what we received with others; grace too becomes true when we flow it down to those around us. However, if the blessings and grace just sit out and stay still, they get spoiled. The job of faithful stewards (Book of First Peter 4:10) is to flow down this blessing and grace. The true value of blessings and grace shines when they flow down to others.
I really like the expression, a “snowball of grace”. In order to make a snowman, we have to roll snowballs. Although small at first, the tiny snowball grows bigger and bigger as you continuously roll it. Grace is like a tiny snowball. When someone shares their small grace, it picks up another grace and carries it along with it. Then the snowball of grace becomes bigger and bigger as it rolls and rolls.
It is about time to escape from the delusion that grace should always be something grandeur. If you imagine grace as something majestical like Moses parting the red sea, then you will feel that grace is hard to find in your life. You will feel that way, not because the grace itself is diluted, but because you have lost the ability to see the grace around you. It is ok if you find grace you think is too small to share. Try to roll it like a snowball.
In our everyday lives, it is so important to admit and state that you have received grace and freely confess your thankfulness for what is thankful. You will agree that it is hard to maintain a relationship with someone who does not express thankfulness. The same goes with God as well. If you do not confess to others the God’s grace that ‘has given to you’, it would be hard to maintain a deep relationship with God.
Those who are hesitant to confess grace and share it with others have something in common. ‘Their hearts and minds are too focused inward, only onto themselves’. When you confess and testify to others the grace God has poured onto you, you should focus on ‘God’s unchanging steadfast grace’ not on ‘how much you have changed’. When you share with others God’s grace, what matters the most is your ‘thankfulness to God’ and ‘boating in the Lord, His greatness’. The rest is all optional.
I pray that you keep rolling His grace like a snowball at Mokjang and in the church.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi