Marvelous Grace

I spent the day with a very close friend yesterday and, in the course of general conversation, she asked me, "How do we combine our separate and unique perspectives and create a harmonious blend that is appealing, satisfying and well, just feels 'right?' Well, I believe, that there is a very special ingredient simply called 'grace' that must be added to the mix. It bandages the souls of wounded people and allows the broken-hearted to develop Godly strategies to escape their past. It gives strength to those who struggle to make functional what has historically been dysfunctional. Grace renews the heart and reconciles the troubles of a tortured spirit. It is kindness and forgiveness. It causes us to keep on loving when the receipient turns the other way. It is the favor of God, and as He bestows it on us, we should in turn give it to those who so desperately need our compassion and love.
We are all broken, and we must learn to accept and then help mend the brokeness of others. In the Book of Hosea, God tells the prophet to marry Gomer, the prostitute. She is a promiscuous woman who disgraced herself and her family. She was abused and battered, she was tattered and torn. She was broken. She ran away from Hosea, but he still wanted her. He could have said, "This woman hurt me, she humiliated me, she failed me." He could have left her on the auction block. But, instead, he call after her, "Gomer...my Beloved." He empties his pockets to redeem her. Hosea's name means "salvation," and he, and his grace, saves Gomer.
Hosea's undying love for Gomer's broken life should give hope to the most severely damaged among us that there is healing for the broken places in the human spirit. If we are to have successful relationships that gradually develop wholeness, we must understand that we must love and extend grace to imperfect, flawed people, be it our mate or other relationship. We must follow Hosea's example. We must educate ourselves and not only in spite of our past, but because of our past work hard to create and nurture a relationship that will act as a support system and safety net as we endeavor to attain success in every area of our lives. We must follow the Lord. As He loves and unconditionally accepts us imperfect beings, so, too, are we to love and accept those who so desperately need to experience His grace.