We celebrate achievement in every arena of our daily lives, and rightly so.

Parents rejoiced when we first slept through the night; the first time we rolled over in the crib; when we finally tolerated the puréed squash; when we took our first tottering steps.

We were congratulated for learning our numbers; mastering the alphabet; riding a bicycle; reading a sentence. People cheered when we scored the soccer goal; sank the jump shot; hit the home run.

Accolades flowed if we exceeded our peers in history, algebra, languages, or physics.

Employers nodded appreciatively at résumés crammed with academic and professional excellence.

That’s why we find ourselves so unprepared for the unexpected gift of grace,

for which we didn’t work, and which we never earned.

t takes us days, months—often years—to quiet our over-trained and striving souls long enough to receive what God says only He can provide.

“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece” (Eph 2:8-19).

Grace is the story of what Jesus has achieved for us. Accept His gift, and He will take you further than you’ve ever dreamed.

So stay in grace. -Bill Knott