Attempt To Define Grace

I'm really surprised to have some strangers reading this. But a stranger who comments on your blog is a truer friend than all those ones who don't bother (except in the way that they aren't).

So, I often find myself telling yours truly that I should keep working hard and expect nothing in return. When I start to expect anything from people, I tend to view it as a bad thing, 'cause no one owes me anything if I choose to invest time in them. I often don't feel like I have mutual friendships, because I will invest an incredibly huge amount of time in a person or people, freeing up time in case they can meet up, often to find that they decided on something else. And I tell them it's fine. And that's how I feel, too, but it's taken me awhile to understand how I feel that way.

See, in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about how he's got this thorn in his side, this thing which I see as something where he's lacking. He's not talented enough, or not naturally gifted enough. So he asks God to take it away. Over and over. Three times he asks God, then finally God shuts Him up by saying "My grace is sufficient for you."

So my thought was, what the hole does that mean? God's grace can be a pretty vague thing. So I looked it up, and here's the basic idea I learned, which kinda gives me an idea of why I do what I do.

Grace, in the Greek translation, is sort of a "kindness" or "favor" from God. In context, it's God's continual watching over Paul, giving him opportunities, friends, joy, and other such wonderful things. So as I'm pushing forward, fighting for every opportunity (whether socially, academically, or whatever), God keeps throwing his grace, this constant flow of blessings and favor on me, and He reminds me that it's sufficient. It'll do the job He wants done.

It's all His anyway. His grace is exactly sufficient to do what He wants. Jesus kinda already went all-in for us, so He's already gone the more-than-mutual friend route for us. It's pretty handy, I think.


2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.