As I consider the work that God is doing in our family, I am struck by God's amazing grace, especially when juxtaposed with the work that I had been trying to do in our family, which was a shabby imitation of grace that I have come to recognize as the codependent counterfeit known as enabling.
Grace and enabling can look quite similar on the outside -- appearing to demonstrate love to the unlovable and bless those who deserve it least -- but enabling is foolish, indulgent, and conditional, and in the end, it always leads to bitterness and destruction.
Grace, on the other hand, is as wise as it is extravagant. It comes with no strings attached. It is never accompanied by resentment, and it always gives life. It simply says, "Here is the gift. Do with it what you will." and keeps on loving.
Romans 5:8 reminds us that:
"...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
That is grace -- wise, loving, life-giving grace. No strings...no conditions....no resentment...no enabling.
The gift has been given. Will we accept? Will we walk worthy of the gift? And perhaps most importantly, will we extend it to others?
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