Preview chapter one of 'Grace to Become'
The Journey of Grace
I open her text just moments after the chime sounds.
Are you home?
Life has been lonely. It has been so long since a friend stopped by. I don’t even take a second to think about the disheveled state of my life and my home and my heart; I just quickly respond back.
Yes.
I am standing outside the garage when she pulls up. All is in a state of disarray. Why is it when you begin the process of cleaning out that everything becomes messier? My first instinct is to lower the great brown door to hide the overflowing boxes and the scattered bikes and the snow boots that need their match, but she is out of her car and confidently walking across the lawn before I get the chance. She raises her hand in a spontaneous wave, her smile spilling over like it always does. As her eyes grasp hold of mine, I realize she doesn’t even notice the mess because of how focused she is on me. That is her way. It is one of the things I love most about her.
In her hands she holds a brown cardboard square tied with a piece of jute and gold tulle. “I had to get this for you.” Her eyes sparkle with anticipation now. “As soon as I saw it, I just knew you had to have it.” It isn’t my birthday. I haven’t done anything in our relationship recently to merit a gift, so I can’t help but wonder why I deserve this generosity. But with those few words, she is done with her explanation. I tug gently on the jute, pulling the soft tulle ribbon off the edges of the cardboard, and lift the top piece. When I see the beautiful painting preserved within the cardboard, I gasp. There are no words, but there are tears, and my eyes return to hers for understanding. “I knew you would love it,” she whispers. “I just knew.”
Before long she returns to her car, and I hold the gift carefully in both hands as I walk through the front door.
Grace.
The name of the painting is handwritten on the white edge of the thick paper imported from France, chosen by the artist for its texture and its beauty. The quality of the paper brings the colors of the painting to life. I feel the soft thickness and get lost in the image. The wheat field, the red ladder, the girl in the yellow dress, the reaching, the glitter falling down from heaven.
I can’t help but wonder which part of the painting had pierced my soul and brought the instantaneous tears. Silence surrounds. I stand in the front hall, one long stream of light slanting through the upper window and spilling onto the artwork. The Spirit whispers soft. It’s not the yellow dress, or the reaching. It isn’t how far she had to carry the old wooden ladder, or how many rungs she climbed. It’s the fact that the grace spilling out of heaven would have reached her regardless.
Unmerited.
Unreserved.
Unscheduled.
And yet, she couldn’t wait.
She recognized the gift. And on that stormy afternoon, reaching out to fully embrace it became paramount.
More about Grace to Become
God's plan for each of His children includes progress, increase, and transformation. At the center of that plan is Jesus Christ, who offers enabling grace through His Atonement. This enabling strength includes saving grace, which helps us overcome, but also exalting grace, which helps us to become.
In her signature meditative, soul-expanding style, Emily Belle Freeman explores how each of us can receive the power of Christ's exalting grace as she draws out connections and parallels in the story of Abraham and the covenants that lead us to eternal life. A companion to Grace Where You Are, this book will help you better understand the relationship between faith and works as you seek transformation in your own life. Discover how both our incremental progression and our ultimate exaltation are made possible through grace.