Amazing Grace

My group of friends often teases our friend Ben because he sings so many songs with amazing grace in them. Two of the most popular are Grace Like Rain and my very favorite Amazing Grace My Chains are gone.  We often listen to and enjoy these songs but do we ever really sit and think about the true meaning of them?  Today I began thinking about amazing grace and what it truly means.  The word amazing means astonishing, awesome or wonderful. One definition (which was my favorite and I think the only meaning) of grace is freely given unmerited favor from God.  It really hit me what a truly wonderful gift it is.  God created us to be different than what we have turned out to be. There are days when we are truly pleasing to God and I'm sure he smiles when we are.  There are also days when we fail him terribly and I'm sure we are a disappointment.  Still when we make those mistakes and have those days when we fail miserably, God's amazing grace is still ours for the taking.  God in His infinite wisdom knew that we would not be perfect and that we would have many days when we would fail.  If we realize our mistakes and ask forgiveness God is there to grant us mercy and give us that unmerited favor.  Although I have been a Christian for 25 years, it still is hard for me to fathom how God is there for me no matter how many times I disappoint Him.  I used to think I had to earn everything God does for me but I now know that is not true.  If I had to deserve it, I would get none of it.  That's what makes it such an awesome gift.  My relationship with God has grown a lot since I was first saved and every day I continue to learn more and more about His plan.  For the new year some of my friends and I have decided to not set resolutions and instead to set goals.  Some of them even have a keyword for the year.  My word is let-it-go.  Now I know that is three words but not the way I say it.  I am praying specifically that God will help me to let go of things that hold me back from being what He has planned me to be.  I'm also learning to be more forgiving and to know that others have to be responsible for the things they do and that just because they hurt me doesn't mean that I am less than what I was before it happened.  God is the ultimate example of freely granting unmerited favor to those who don't deserve it.  So all I have to do when I need a reminder to do the same is to say those two famous words...........Amazing Grace.