The End of Our Grace Spaces

One day, there won’t be a grace space between what we believe and what we are experiencing in Jesus. The process of seeing Jesus with “unveiled faces” (2 Corinthians 3:18) will be complete—something we can try to imagine but really can’t grasp, at least not yet.

All the tears we cried over wondering if we were getting it right or deeply wanting to belong will be wiped away. Stress will be forgotten, and we will see our story wholly and completely through the eyes of Jesus. We’ll experience absolute love with no barriers of uncertainty.

In this life, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit care deeply about the events that break our hearts, cause chaos, and try to steal our hope. Their love, kindness, and faithfulness that we experience now is just a glimpse of how immense their passion for us is.

The day we walk into heaven will be the best day of our lives.

We will be welcomed in a way that defies description. We will be celebrated and experience perfect love, perfect peace, perfect everything. The Throne of Grace won’t be theoretical anymore. It won’t be hard to be confident that we belong here.

There’s a truth inscribed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.: “What is past is prologue.” That thought impacted me so much that day that I sat on a nearby bench and wrote about it for a long time. It was powerful then and it remains so today. For me, those words capture the essence of an eternal perspective.

For you, for me, for every true believer in Jesus, our lives on earth are a prologue to our next life.

Eternity begins now. We’re practicing and experiencing life with God now in preparation for the rest of our lives in heaven. This part of our existence only occurs on earth and we’re learning to make the most of it. We’re beginning to understand that how we walk with God in our grace spaces now is something we’ll reap the benefits of long after our grace spaces are no more.

So what new meaning do those thoughts bring to our grace spaces today when we pray, “On earth as it is in heaven?”

~ Allison Bown
Excerpt from upcoming book Grace Spaces

Feeling that there’s more than we can process in one or several areas of life is a common experience. Often, it’s more common than we realize because others feel ashamed to share this struggle. “Why can’t I just declare a scripture and get over this?”

Our minds know the truths of scripture, but we’re not experiencing them right now and that can feel like failure to be a “good Christian.”

As Grace Spaces veterans know, shame is the #1 reason we become reluctant to come to the Lord or share with others that something that feels too much, too fast or has gone on too long. We fear that we won’t be accepted in this place by others, even by God.

But Jesus has compassion for us in those places because He experienced them too. (We’ll talk about those.) He remembers.

On Saturday, November 9th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, we will hold a special workshop for “The Space Between Overwhelmed and Calm”

We will explore:

• Signposts of being overwhelmed

• Recognizing our grace spaces of stress, struggle and self-rescue

• Understanding our “Windows of Tolerance”

• Expanding our capacity to receive God’s grace, mercy and help

• Specific practices that help navigate these grace spaces

We’ll have times of training but also sharing, praying and practicing together in a caring, supportive and encouraging environment.

You are welcome to come if you’re in the midst of an overwhelming time or if you want to be prepared when one arrives.

Registration begins: October 26th
This workshop is for women only.