The Value of Grace

How often when you were growing up did you hear someone – typically a person displeased with your attitude – claim, “Actions speak louder than words…”? “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” was probably your default answer then, even as it is today. We hate it when others try to make us conform to their perception of how we should behave around them.

So, let me make a claim here which will be expanded within the rest of this posting: Grace speaks louder than belief.

A teacher recently said to me that beliefs guide our perceptions and values structure our actions. The trouble that we get into is when our actions run contrary to our beliefs, something he called cognitive dissonance. I’ll speak about that in a moment too, however, I want to explore these two issues of values and beliefs.

Beliefs guide how we see things in life, our perception. Each of us has a unique perspective on how best to live in this hostile environment called life. We focus on certain things while neglecting other items which often are right next to our center of attention. This is pretty common for instance when you’re driving a car. You focus on what lies ahead more than what is going on behind or beside you (except if you’re driving in Los Angeles). Novice drivers have difficulty at first trying to tune out all that flies at them when they get behind the wheel simply because they have never experienced the level of concentration required to propel a vehicle down a road faster than a bicycle.

I’m coming to realize that beliefs are not very dependable. Yes, you read that correctly. Consider these common beliefs: Santa Claus; tooth fairy; leprechauns; and the Easter Bunny. Before you dismiss any of these, realize that each of us clung to these as children. They guided the perception of our little world. Now that we’re older though, rarely do we permit them to influence how we navigate through our life.
Beliefs change with age or with greater knowledge. Today, we don’t believe that the sun orbits around the earth, yet it has not been too long since that was the prevailing tenet of all science. What beliefs do you presently have that could use a serious review? Probably many, yet, the uncertainty which comes from the examination keeps the vast majority of people from ever considering that there may possibly be a better belief to guide them.

I’m amazed at the number of people who feel compelled to ask one another what they believe. What difference does it really make if, in the course of living, a belief can change? One day you believe that you’re sitting on the top of the world, everything is going your way, and the next day, after you’re laid-off from work and hit a car leaving the parking lot, your top-of-the-world-life is in the gutter. Beliefs change like the leaves on the trees. What…don’t believe me?

Notice at this precise moment I have challenged a belief! How I look at something and how you look at something. Which is right? Both can’t be right, right? Can both be wrong? Can one be right for the wrong reason, or, wrong for the right reason? After all, aren’t beliefs just words anyway? Yes, Virginia, beliefs do employ words to describe what they are about. But what speaks louder than words?

Do you think that you’re very trustworthy? Is that a quality that you look for in others? How about courteous; are you one to open the door for others? These are two of the twelve characteristics of Boy Scout as defined by the Boy Scout Law. Believe what you want about the benefits of this organization, there is fundamental truth in the values which the Scout Law promotes. For those of you who do not know what the Scout Law is, it reads as follows: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. This list of twelve characteristics are the values which have defined who a Boy Scout is for over one hundred years. These values structure how a young man is to conduct his life at home, in school, on the playground, with friends and adults. Are these missing values in society today? Yes. Does it take an organization like the Boy Scout to instill these values into our children? If the family can’t do it, the schools won’t do it, and the church doesn’t think of doing it, and the media makes no money from it, then probably yes.

When I see how you handle yourself as a customer hands to you a $1,000 in $50 bills which are intended for your boss, then I’ll know you’re trustworthy, despite what you believe. When you let another driver enter into your lane to make the turn off without getting all up in their grill, then I’ll know that you’re courteous. When I see you respect the environment by picking up the napkins off the floor of a fast food joint, then I’ll know that you’re clean. This is how values work. We are hard-wired to them.

Do you find any value in family? As strange as that question is, there are some people on this planet who find there to be no value in a family. They’ve been abused, ostracized, humiliated, shamed and ignored by the very people who brought them into the world. They don’t like being around people like you because they see how joyful your family is and they’ve never experienced it. Your life is cognitive dissonance to them. Astoundingly, their life is cognitive dissonance to you too.
What do you value? Vague, I know, so let’s start here. What do you value in a friend? A great meal? A memorable vacation? A partner for life? In your children or parents? For each of us the answers will be different; however, we all have an answer which we are certain of, no variance, no shifting opinions. Values are like that. Stable. Solid. Unwavering.

We are attracted to those things, people, places, or communities that we highly value. Conversely, we tend to stay as far away from those same things if they have little to no value to us. Or at least we like to think we do.
Consider the person who places a high value on family yet spends 12 to 14 hours a day pursuing a career while missing meals with children and spouse, and weekly special events at school or with friends. Consider the person who values personal integrity but is consistently late to appointments. These two events are examples of cognitive dissonance, the psychological stress of acting one way when your values, and even your beliefs, are another.

Here is a prime example of cognitive dissonance for religious folks. Most value morality while having a low value on immorality. Grace is another high value item. However, no one likes the truth of the high value found among the immorality of grace. No, you didn’t read that wrong. Grace is immoral and it has the highest value of anything you’ll ever experience.

Morality is a human construct. It is the code we attempt to live by as a societal being. We use that code to define transgressions against the fiber of our social systems or to promote exemplary behavior within those systems. Our entire justice system is derived and evolved from this code of conduct. Morality adheres to the code while immorality abhors the code. Grace doesn’t even care what the code is, period! This makes grace immoral and religious people hate that. Sure, they’ll extol the amazing nature of grace and all that it has done for and to them, but when they are confronted with a liar, an embezzler, an adulterer, an addict, a pedophile, a murderer, or any other person who has been defined by the code as a transgressor, and they admit that grace applies equally to these types too, cognitive dissonance kicks in. When you realize that God is not moral, is not bound to adhere to the code of mankind, cognitive dissonance kicks in. When you understand that Love is immoral, cognitive dissonance kicks in.

Here is the granddaddy of all cognitive dissonance. Jesus said that we should love our enemies. So how is that working for you? Probably not so well, and for a good reason. Let me bring in another statement. Jesus said that we should love our neighbor as ourselves. A whole lot of people have difficulty loving even their neighbor simply because they don’t love themselves, just how on earth does Jesus expect us to love our enemies then? It might be better to understand that our biggest enemy is our own self. We somehow think that we can ignore the conflict swirling around ourselves while trying to love someone else who we are not particularly fond of.

If you want to learn the high value of grace, trying learning to love who you are. The actions required to minister grace to yourself pale in comparison to those you’ll offer to another. You may believe that you are a child the King, and yet cuss yourself out for dropping taco sauce on your pants while you drive down the freeway. You may believe that you’re healed, but that 102 temperature you’ve had for two days says otherwise. You may believe that your blessed in your coming and goings, but people who prefer that you bless them as you keep going are speaking a language you’re too deaf to hear.

Before you jump on the faith bandwagon here trying to tell me this is how you live your life, let me pronounce your claim to be pure bovine excrement if you catch my drift. Don’t come at me with that “faith of Abraham” shtick because it only shows me that you don’t have a clue. First off, that entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews was not written for you unless you’re Hebrew. Second, all of those people who it seems had great displays of faith stood on the hope of a future event coming to pass, which just so happened in Jesus. For you to confess that your faith is just like theirs is to ignore the simple fact of Jesus 2,000 years ago. It doesn’t take any faith to believe for something that has already happened. This is why your faith has no real value if you’re going to claim it is just like the heroes of Hebrews 11.

Let me go one further on the value of your faith. Consider just how valuable it is since God had to give you His. You don’t even get to depend on yours – you experience the reward of the faith of Jesus. Honestly, you walk in the sight of what His faith secured, period. Quit hoping for that day to come when you’ll receive the blessing of your faith in Jesus. Finished! It means today what it meant then.

Notice how I just questioned the value of your belief, your faith. I’m not questioning the validity. I’m trying to get you to see how it shapes your actions. You can believe one thing and do something that is in complete opposition to its underlying tenets and its present reality. Grace, however, is precisely what addresses this cognitive dissonance, which is how I can claim that grace speaks louder than belief. If you don’t like the way you act, change the value of the belief that says you need to respond that way. Only grace builds the bridge you need to get from one course action to another. Only grace, given to yourself as well as to others, will allow change to happen.

Grace, in all forms of its immorality, is a life style that people recognize long before you spout off on your beliefs. Does it affect your beliefs? Most certainly. It will change you in ways that only immorality can. This is a value you need to seek after with all your heart.