“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NRSV)

The unmerited favor of God; that is what I was taught God’s grace is.  Grace is not grasped at our reached for; it is simply received as a gift.  Salvation is exactly like that.  We do not grasp for it and we do not control it, for ourselves nor for any other person.  We receive it, and we invite others to receive it.  It is completely humbling that as gracious and grace-filled a person as Mother Theresa spent a large portion of her life longing for but not experiencing in her heart a confirmation of God’s grace for her.  And yet we will all say that God’s grace was certainly there for her.  May we be blessed to receive, give, and truly experience God’s grace in our lives.