I AM BLOG.

As of late, God has been challenging me a lot in the area of grace. Grace is a tricky thing. In most instances when I think I’m showing grace, I’m actually not. Grace is not given to show that you are the better person. The whole “be the bigger man” concept is not the definition of grace. Christ came to this world as a humble servant, not in superiority or arrogance.

For us, as Christians, to show grace is to be humbled. In our sinfulness and in our brokenness, we received Christ so that we would be viewed as holy and righteous before God. We acknowledge that it is not by our own righteousness that we can stand before God, but it is because of the grace given to us that we are made whole. So for us to show grace to others, we must do so in a humble and broken manner because it was in this state that we ourselves received grace.

What I’m learning in a nutshell: We must be convicted and transformed by God’s grace before we can show grace to others. And when showing grace to our brothers and sisters, we must do so knowing that they received the very same grace as we did.

“Grace finds beauty in everything.”

Photo: Jared Ng, Model: YY Liew

During college, I remember my roommates getting really interested in raw denim. I thought it was absurd that they would spend hundreds of dollars on “jeans.” Well, I still do, BUT I realized that it’s kind of admirable to want to see progression in something, even if it’s just clothes.

Being able to visualize a goal and working towards it is admirable. You know exactly what you want and when life throws you a curve ball, like crotch bust, you make changes and work around it. Eventually your vision of having stacks and whiskers or whatever becomes a finished product. And then you soak it all in, and watch the dirt and stank come out at the same time.

Music is a beautiful thing. It evokes emotion and because of that, it’s powerful. When I reflect back on key points in my life, music or the sense of hearing has played a prominent role. Actually, I guess this can be said about any of our five senses.

The ability for us to hear, see, taste, touch, and smell is extraordinary. The ability for us to utilize these senses and tie them to thought and emotion is a miracle. Whenever I think about these things, I can’t help but agree with Paul–”they are without excuse.”

I guess it’s easy for me to say this in hindsight. Yes, God manifests Himself in creation. But I take comfort in knowing that the Word assures us that all people will be able to see God’s “eternal power and divine nature.”

There are times when I am dumbstruck with awe by God and there are times when I forget to be in awe. There should never be a dull moment in life, because God manifests His eternal power and divine nature in all things around us. We undoubtedly see His beauty in all things in this world, because we are all His. We see His beauty in each other because He showed us what beauty is.

Simply put, God is good.

So yesterday I went to the Laker game with my brother. We try to get tickets at least once or twice a year, which is cool, but I didn’t fully appreciate it until yesterday. I’ve realized that not all brothers do things like this and not all brothers want to do things like this. My brother could have easily given the tickets to someone who appreciates basketball more than I do, but he didn’t.

Another thing I’ve been appreciating a lot more is spending time with my parents. I’ve always had a great relationship with my parents, but I’ve begun to appreciate them more as of late. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up.

And lastly, I’m thankful that God is faithful in showing me His grace and love, and continues to do so, even when I’m unfaithful. I’m thankful that even when things are chaotic in life, when He speaks, everything becomes clear.

There’s a lot of bad in this world, but please don’t take for granted the things God has blessed you with!

The heart of man is deceptive. We say things that we know to be true, but we don’t live these things out–they are nothing but empty words. Yet at the same time, there are others that do do the right things, but sometimes, these actions are just as empty as the empty words.

You can learn a lot about someone by simply observing them. You can learn a lot about someone by talking to them too. But it’s not until their actions and their words (and most importantly, their hearts!) align that you will get to truly know them.

We need to walk the talk. And these should be a reflection of our hearts.

It’s hard. I feel ya.