Fierce Grace

Diem

 

I’ve made a lot of resolutions over the years. I’ve kept a few but mostly…not so much. They have generally centered around fitness and I have a tendency to start strong and fizzle around March. So this year I decided to do something different. I am embracing. I am embracing who God has made me to be.

What does that look like though? How do I define that in a way that I can work toward a specific place of goal? Is there a word or phrase to wrap that up into a neat little package? The word fierce has been rolling around my consciousness lately. Fierce. I am fierce? Is that even a thing?  Could God call me to be fierce? I had more questions than answers so I went to Google. That’s what I do with all my questions.

fierce (firs) – adjective. having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness. (of a feeling, emotion, or action) showing a heartfelt and powerful intensity.
The definition didn’t feel right to me. I know I can be intense and I’ve been told I’m a lot my whole life but fierce? Could I be fierce? Could that truly be who God has made me to be?
As I pondered the word I thought of tropical storms, hurricanes, and Nike commercials. None of those felt right. My hair can withstand a tropical storm and I’m sure Nike is looking for overweight blondes who ride yellow beach cruisers but still… I wondered why I was still wrestling the word. I’d heard of the thing last year where people were picking a word for the year instead of making resolutions so of course, I googled and found the web site. It suggested that your “one word” be less about the person you don’t want to be anymore and more about who you want to become.
YES!
This was what I needed. I don’t want to run away from anything. I want to run towards my purpose. It fell right in with my desire to embrace who God wants me to be. As I looked at the list of suggested words, grace was popping off the page.
grace (ɡrās) –noun. simple elegance or refinement of movement.  (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
Of course I want to always live in God’s favor. Of course I want to be simple, elegant, refined… But fierce continued to be bouncing around my brain.
Fierce Grace? It’s technically two words but maybe one word isn’t enough.
Could that be a thing? As I sat in front of the fireplace this morning, watching the sun light slide in over the tree tops I realized that fierce grace is most definitely a thing and its’ exactly what God is calling me to.
Quick to forgive…others and myself.
Love deeply….those around me and myself.
Look for the best in others…and myself.
Fierce Grace. I intend to wrestle what that looks like in my life and how God wants me to walk that out daily. How do I forgive and yet maintain healthy boundaries? Can I learn to love my body while taking steps to make it healthy? How will I show love to the people in my home/neighborhood/workplace? Can I learn to give the benefit of the doubt without being taken for a ride? I believe this is what fierce grace looks like and it’s what I want to embrace.
Do you have a word? A characteristic? What is God calling you to embrace this year?

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