| The Grit and Grace Project

Remember This When You Take Your Marriage For Granted

Author Lewis Smedes wrote, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Yet forgiveness is one of the most difficult of human actions. We think that by not forgiving someone who has hurt us that we are holding some sort of power over him, but this simply isn’t true. As a matter of fact, the exact opposite is true. Choosing not to forgive only leaves us powerless, bitter, and resentful. There is nothing more damaging to a marriage than choosing not to forgive, and nothing more healing than the act of forgiving. When partners choose to forgive one another, they foster a deeper connection that can withstand the trials of life. However, when betrayal occurs, […]

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Focus On Today and Tomorrow You’ll Be Glad

By Teresa Christian / Life & Culture

Sometimes we get mixed messages. On the one hand, we are told to prepare for the future. On another, wisdom says not to worry about tomorrow. I think it’s fine to plan for the future and not neglect our responsibilities, but what about today? Are we living today? I’ve begun a new way of eating recently that is grounded on eating healthier just for today. Let that sink in. When it comes to food, I’m learning not to fret about tomorrow’s food options or all the weddings I’ll be attending over the next several weeks and the delicious reception food and wedding cake that will be served. I’m just focused on eating better today. It has actually made quite an impact on me,

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Can God Use Messy People? (Video)

By Our Grit and Grace Life Videos / Faith

— Want to read about a present-day woman who made a pretty messy mistake? Read How My Husband and I Survived My Affair and see how capable God is despite our shortcomings. Maybe you’ve found yourself in the middle of an unexpected, unwanted situation. You’ll find hope in this woman’s story: I Never Wanted to Be a Pregnant Widow. Perhaps you just need to read about how much God loves you, and how he loved you even before you were born (while knowing you’d make all those mistakes in the future). Don’t miss You Are Loved More Than You Know. #gritandgracelife

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The Gift of Accepting a Pardon

By Darlene Brock / Faith

What good is forgiveness if we don’t accept it? In 1829, George Wilson was found guilty of murder in a court of law and given a death sentence. But Wilson had some friends who believed he should escape the penalty he was given and petitioned President Andrew Jackson for a pardon. Jackson granted the pardon, which was brought to the prison and given to Wilson. To everyone’s surprise, Wilson said, “I am going to hang.” Never before had someone refused a pardon, so the courts didn’t know what to do. Discussion went all the way to the Supreme Court, where Justice John Marshall gave this ruling: “A pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends upon the acceptance by the

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What Do You Think of When You Hear “Worship”?

By Whitney Hsu / Faith

Worship. What does that word call to mind when you hear it? The songs that you sing at your church on Sundays? An organ and a choir, donned in jewel-colored robes? Your friend playing an instrument in the praise band? Perhaps you attach the word worship to the entire service on Sunday morning. Or maybe it’s something more. Worship can actually be something we do day in and day out. It can be a heart posture. It can be an offering of praise. There is corporate worship: what we do when we are gathered together, in God’s name, singing, praying, reading/hearing Scripture, listening to God’s Word taught by a preacher, and taking communion. There is also personal worship—and it’s much more vague, or all-inclusive, depending on

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Take It Easy—On Yourself

By Darlene Brock / Health & Beauty, Purpose

We work very hard to give others a break, at least most days we do. But when it comes to ourselves—that can be the toughest person to forgive. Not sure why, but we are often the last person who we want to let off the hook. We cling to thoughts like, “I should have known better… What was I thinking?” and, “I can’t believe I forgot that” or, “I must look like the dumbest brick in the room.” Newsflash: we’re are all in the same boat of imperfection, and we just need to take it easy! Next time you want to give yourself a one-woman smack down, remember these 5 things to say to yourself: 1. My best teacher was my last mistake. 2. No one will

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Do You Need to Forgive Your Teenage Self?

By Tina Brown / Life & Culture

Have you ever found it easier to feel bad or sad for someone else’s situation than your own? When we are in a tough spot, we tend to justify, make excuses for people who’ve wronged us, or try to make our problem sound “not so bad.” And yet, if someone else told us about the same, terrible thing going on in their life, we would have sincere empathy and tell them how awful it is and that it should have never happened, etc. For me, I think it was just hard to accept and acknowledge the reality of some difficult things that happened in my life in an honest way. It took me a long time to get to the point where I could do this and mean it.

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Practicing the Grace of Offering Forgiveness, Every Day

By Geinene Carson / Relationships

I don’t think there is a day that goes by in which I manage to escape extending or asking for forgiveness. I used to think forgiveness was something required of us only a few times in our life for those deepest of offenses, that the smallest of daily altercations were somehow excused from the necessity. But, the more my life becomes intertwined with others, I’m realizing that even seemingly insignificant wrongdoings can accumulate and cultivate bitterness in my heart without my awareness. Whether it is the driver who cut me off during rush hour, the dinner guest who showed up an hour late, or that person who shares their unfiltered opinion on social media all too often, I’m coming to the realization

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