May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
I recently had a discussion with a client about the concept of grace. This client had experienced abuse from her mother. The abuse took the form of emotional, and sometimes even physical abandonment when the client was quite young. Indeed, this has left a mark that stays to this day for this “30 something” client.
We had a deep discussion about the hurts of her childhood that persist to this day. The client is very self-aware, bright and articulate, and she has a strong faith to deal with this trauma. The more we discussed the situation, the client found that she has been withholding kindness and love toward her mother because her mother “does not deserve it”.
I told the client that I understood that position, and that she is still suffering from the lack of trust and acceptance that should have come from a loving parent. She had been wounded. At the same time, we must find a way forward so that the wounding does not continue to harm us.
When I discussed the concept of grace being defined as “undeserved merit”, the client simply paused and said, “when I hear that out loud, I recognize that I get grace from God that I do not deserve.”
The healing is beginning for this client, and she deserves that- we all do. God wants to do a healing in our hearts from the pain of the past. Our part is to be open to the grace that he gives for that healing.
Prayer: Lord, help people to heal with your abundant grace, Amen
