This Is Way Too Easy

       Has anything ever seemed TOO easy? Have you ever come across those instances wherein you feel almost conned? “This is just way too easy. It’s got to be a trick.” You feel like you must be missing something or you must be doing something wrong. We ask, “What’s the catch?” We think, “This is way too good to be true.” Have you ever had those moments?

I have. I feel that way daily about God’s grace.

His grace is absolutely incredible and it astounds me every day.

I must be missing something, because receiving God’s grace is just way too easy.

I think that one of the reasons that His grace is so hard for me to comprehend is because our society teaches us to work. Work, work, work to get, get, get. We learn that nothing is given to us. We don’t gain anything that we didn’t earn. You have to be the best to have the best. This is how our society works; but God and His grace? That’s an entirely different system to follow, and it’s so easy!

God doesn’t require us to reach a certain “level” before He grants us grace. He doesn’t require that we work a certain amount of hours, sing a certain amount of praises, or do a certain amount of good deeds. His grace is a gift, and we don’t have to work to earn it; we can’t ever earn it. Grace is a gift because Jesus did the work for us. He carried our burdens and our sins and laid them upon the cross. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,” Ephesians 1:7.

Grace is a gift. A gift! That means it has been GIVEN to us.

So how do we receive it?

We ask.

You read that correctly. We ask for forgiveness and we’ve got it. That’s it! You see what I mean about too easy? We can’t work for it, we can’t earn it, and we don’t deserve it. We merely ask for it. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is always ready to forgive. His forgiveness is different than the forgiveness (or lack thereof) that we have experienced with others. People have difficulty forgiving the way God does, if we even decide to forgive. We keep track. We hold grudges. We remember the mistakes and we bring them back up later.

God doesn’t.

We find it hard to forgive because we feel the hurt and we feel that forgiveness is letting a person “off easy.”

God doesn’t.

We can’t always see a “clean slate” or forget the sins of others.

God does.

God promises to forgive us, and all we must do to receive it is ask. Our request doesn’t go before a judge and jury. God doesn’t contemplate how many offenses we have committed and whether or not this will be the last straw. He doesn’t even consider if we deserve it; He knows that we don’t. There is no, “I’ll forgive you if…” with God. He forgives us regardless of what we’ve done and how many times we’ve done it. It’s called grace for a reason.

Grace: Favor or goodwill. Mercy; clemency; pardon. A manifestation of favor, especially by a superior. Synonymous with kindness, forgiveness, charity, mercifulness, leniency, reprieve, love.

None of us deserve God’s grace, nor will we ever earn it, and yet we all can receive it. His grace is so easily attainable. Too easy! There is no catch. God wants to forgive us. It’s not too good to be true. God wants to give us His grace. I don’t see God as feeling burdened when we ask for forgiveness. I don’t see Him as unwilling to forgive. Instead, I see Him as saying, “Mary, what took you so long to ask me? I’ve been waiting on you. I have been wanting to forgive you.”

His grace is amazing. His grace is a gift. Receiving His grace is way too easy.

“For you, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you.” – Psalm 86:5.