Grace is freely given even when gratitude is not obviously shown. Gratitude is a response to grace and may not be immediate or ostentatious. More often than not, we may not be aware of gratitude shown for grace that is freely given.
On a theological level, grace is defined as a free and unmerited act by which God restores us who are estranged from him to himself. Theologically speaking, grace is the starting point for everything that is right about religion, for grace describes the action of the sovereign God in taking the initiative to save us. We didn’t deserve it and couldn’t do anything to earn it, but God offered us salvation nonetheless.
That theological definition also informs the meaning of grace as we use it in everyday life. There, grace still refers to something good we have been given that we didn’t deserve but nonetheless have received. Or, to say it another way, grace is something you can never earn but only be given.
Can you think of a time when you received grace you did not deserve? It could be something small: Maybe someone ahead of you in the cash-out line paid for your coffee or perhaps you received an unexpected note of gratitude in the mail for an action you scarcely remember. Or, maybe you can think of something more consequential: Perhaps someone forgave you for profoundly hurting them. Take a moment and settle on an experience of grace in your past.
When you’ve chosen a moment to remember, really remember it. Think about how you felt. Remember where you felt it. Did your chest tighten? Did your stomach drop? Did your head feel woozy? Recall how you reacted. Did
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