4 minute read
El Roi…the God Who Sees Me
LENS OF GRACE
by Lisa Hathaway
As a therapist, I have the privilege and honor of sitting with those who are walking through tremendous hurt, trauma, anxiety, and other challenges. I consider this a gift. Sitting with others in their brokenness brings a new perspective. We all need to be “seen” in our brokenness. Yet, there can be a stigma when we go to therapy or seek help from others. Know that this is a trick of the devil. When we go through hard times, it is good for us to reach out and be “seen.”
Clients often come into my office emotionally hurt and feeling alone. Most of us go through times when we feel like no one “gets” us or our feelings. As a clinician, I have been taught to hold in my emotions and feelings as I listen to others’ stories, but my heart still hurts for my clients. I feel the pain, sorrow, and rejection others walk through, and I constantly ask for God’s guidance and wisdom when in session. Sometimes, there are no magic words to say. Sometimes, presence is the best thing for a situation.
You don’t need to be certified to be a friend and meet someone with God’s grace. Sitting with, walking with, talking with, and offering someone else the same compassion God gives US every minute of the day is a gift.
Even in the midst of relationship challenges, looking at someone through the lens of God’s grace can bring peace to both the giver and the receiver. There will be obstacles in life and times when we may disagree and not be on the same page as another. But when we allow ourselves to be led by God, His grace will abide in all our relationships. Grace is a beautiful, undeserved gift from God. He died on the cross for our sins so we may have grace and mercy and live with Him forever. Grace is the unmerited favor from the Lord. As sinners, we don’t deserve the grace God gives us, and it is this grace that we are called to shower on others.
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. (1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 NLT)
We are nothing without God’s grace. But the beauty is that we do not have to strive for His love. He sees all of us through His grace lenses. God fully knows us and yet still offers us His grace. When I think about the gift of grace, I can’t fathom that the God of the universe loves me and chooses to give me complete grace that can only come from Him.
He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. (EPHESIANS 1:7 NLT)
When we meet others with grace, lives are changed. No matter what has been done to us or how badly we have been hurt, God calls us to offer grace to others. The grace that covers you and me also covers those who have wronged us. This can be difficult to comprehend at times. But the lens of grace God gives us continually guides us to be more like Him.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (COLOSSIANS 4:6 NIV)
I love this scripture. May our conversations be full of grace. Ponder of those words. The more we can walk in the steps of Jesus, the more we will have the lenses of grace to see others as He does.
Lisa Hathaway resides in Lexington, NC, with her husband, Everett, and their children. As a special needs mom, breast cancer survivor, and survivor of a tragic car accident, suffering has been intertwined in her story, and she yearns for others to experience God’s sweetness through their difficulties.
Lisa Hathaway resides in Lexington, NC, with her husband, Everett, and their children. As a special needs mom, breast cancer survivor, and survivor of a tragic car accident, suffering has been intertwined in her story, and she yearns for others to experience God’s sweetness through their difficulties. Lisa has an MBA and is pursuing her Clinical and Mental Health Counseling degree. She works at The Oaks Therapeutic Community and is an integral part of the WWL leadership team.
