LEARNING GRACE
"We seek the grace of God, we press into it, but we also learn it. To learn something means more than mouthing the words 'His grace is sufficient for me.' To learn means to make choices, to practice over and over. If you are to know contentment -- that quietness of heart growing out of supernatural grace that gladly submits to God in all circumstances -- you must undergo the learning process.
" God's grace was certainly there for me, but He wasn't going to force-feed me. It was up to me to make a series of tough choices. Was I going to let embarrassment over my food-smeared face dissuade me? Would I let disappointing failures overwhelm me? I'm convinced God gave me the strength to lift that spoon to my mouth. As a result, I did learn to feed myself, and today I manage a spoon quite well.
" When Christ gives us strength to tackle a painful situation, gaining contentment doesn't mean losing sorrow or saying good-bye to discomfort. You can be sorrowful yet always rejoicing. You can have nothing and yet possess everything. First Timothy 6:6 says, 'Godliness with contentment is great gain.' Yet the gain always comes through loss. The grace always comes through need. Don't let anyone tell you that contentment comes easily. It is not passive. In fact, it is gritty determination. It has to be learned. And it requires grace from beyond this world."
- Joni Eareckson Tada, A Lifetime of Wisdom: Embracing the Way God Heals You
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