Sometimes Grace Says No

by Katy Kauffman

It could be my diet. It could be winter. My insides feel like a three-year-old saying, “No!” I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to stay in. No.

And then I remember God and His love. I remember He has a purpose for me, and it’s an adventure I can do with Him. I remember the sun still shines and the rain helps the earth grow. And I’m calm again. And okay.

When I search for the right word to identify what helps me to be okay (besides God, that is), I find the word “grace”—the desire and ability to do God’s will. Grace isn’t wimpy either. The grace of God can help us to say no to negative thoughts and feelings. It can say no to a grumpiness that can be hard to shake. It can help each child of God get up and do today’s work and adventures, because God is with us and He’s always ready for what’s next.

So grace says no. It refuses to let these win:

• Negativity
• A feeling of hopelessness
• Apathy
• Distractions
• Neglecting what’s good
• An attitude that says, “I just don’t want to.”

Instead, God and His grace help us to flourish in:

• Progress, even if it’s small
• Hopefulness
• Strength
• Endurance
• Staying focused
• An attitude that says, “I want to do the next right thing, and I know God will help me.”

Although God can help us through anything even if we don’t ask Him for help, He likes it when we do. It trains us to be dependent on Him and not flounder in self-reliance. Eventually we’ll come to the end of what we can do on our own.

“In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Psalm 138:3 NKJV)

God can give us a boldness that is governed by love and empowered by grace. He is constantly working within us, something the psalmist David remembered later in the same chapter, Psalm 138.

“The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; do not forsake the work of Your hands.” (Ps 138:8 NKJV)

God is faithful to complete the good things He is working within us (Philippians 1:6). We can trust Him to give us what we need as He makes our heart and character look more and more like Jesus’.

Have you noticed a cranky attitude trying to find you this winter? What has helped you to keep doing the good things you know to do day by day? Share in the comments, and may God and His grace fill each of your days with His very own “sunshine.”

I’ve started something new! I am making YouTube Shorts now—those videos that are three minutes or less. I made a series of Shorts using quotes and stories from my “Grace” column. You can watch them here: