Article September 29, 2008 Issue

LESS WILLFULNESS = MORE GRACE

BY GINGER MACK

First appeared on spirituality.com on July 24, 2008

Primed for a second serve, I stood at the baseline and raised my tennis racquet. Double faulting had become my forte, which felt so aggravating. Why couldn't I just get the ball into the service box the first time? But that particular day, it hit me, "Hey, at least the rules of tennis allow for more than one serve!" Right then, instead of resenting my lack of skill and my failure to quickly execute the perfect serve, I started to see that I could let the forgiving rules of the game nurture my progress.

I can't say I'm now ready to take on Nadal or Federer. But after that day on the court, I began to relax and play with greater confidence and more humility.

Similarly, I've learned that resistance to growing in grace sometimes feels like that first serve that won't go into the right box. We're left disappointed when things take too long or don't work out how we plan. But I've found this is just stubbornness or pride trying to wreak havoc in our lives—and it's based on a confining, human perspective. Looking to God's authority instead, based on incorruptible and universal laws, always supports our spiritual development.

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LESS WILLFULNESS = MORE GRACE

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