Liz Curtis Higgs - Embrace Grace: Welcome to the Forgiven Life

Nonfiction
Bad Girls of the Bible
Really Bad Girls of the Bible
Unveiling Mary Magdalene
Rise and Shine

Historical Fiction
Thorn in My Heart
Fair Is the Rose
Whence Came a Prince
Grace in Thine Eyes

Contemporary Fiction
Mixed Signals
Bookends

Childrens Books
The Pumpkin Patch Parable
The Parable of the Lily
The Sunflower Parable
The Pine Tree Parable
Go Away Dark Night

An Open Door
I dont feel like I belong anywhere.

Embrace Doubt
The whole thing seems a little hard to believe.

Embrace Faith
How do I find the faith to touch him?

Embrace Truth
I always felt like I was missing something.

Embrace Sin
How could he love me after all Ive done?

Embrace Forgiveness
Can I know for sure that God has forgiven me?

Embrace Repentance
Striving for perfection can be exhausting.

Embrace Grace
What a freeing experience!

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

R OMANS 5:1-2

ve been waiting for you. Holding this good news close to my heart, longing to share it.

And now here you are, standing on the threshold.

To say that Im glad to see you is a major understatement. Thrilled is more like it. Curb my enthusiasm? No way. Not when its you.

There are a few things about you that I dont know: your age, your appearance, your occupation. Facts that describe you but dont define you and have little bearing here.

There are also things about you that I do know because we share them: the need to be loved unconditionally, the desire to live a life that truly matters, the longing to shed a tightly woven mantle of guilt.

Or am I the only woman who wears past failures and present mistakes like an old wool coat, scratchy and uncomfortable, chafing the skin around my neck?

Ah. You too.

Sadly, heavy overcoats get in the way of a good hug. Our arms are too stiff, our bodies too padded. No one can sense our warmth through the thick fabric.

In the same way, remorse and shame insulate us. And isolate us.

If only we could toss those miserable garments into some dark closet and tiptoe away. If only the ratty things didnt feel so cozy and familiar. If only we could shake off the conviction that we need to wear our guiltdeserve to wear it, must wear itwhatever the season.

Maybe its time to release that burden and lift our arms toward the One who loves us most.

Thats what this visit is all about: slipping off the old and putting on the new. Letting go of the past and embracing freedom with our whole hearts.

Come inside where its warm, beloved.

Let me help you with your coat.

Take hold of the life
that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:19

The forgiven life. The grace-filled life.

It begins with an embrace, which is more than an elegant word for hug.

Hugs are short-lived and friendly, handed out like after-dinner mints to acquaintances and strangers alike.

Here, have one.

An embrace is more intentional. Longer. Warmer. Far more personal.

We gather someone closea spouse, a child, a friend, a siblingand murmur words of comfort and affection. Or we simply let the strength of our embrace express the depth of our thoughts and feelings.

I believe in you.

I support you.

I treasure you.

I love you.

Wherever you are spiritually, whatever you have been through emotionally, you are already wrapped in the Lords embrace. Held close by nail-scarred hands. Enfolded in the arms of One who believes in you, supports you, treasures you, and loves you.

He is waiting for you to embrace him in return. To accept the gift hes offering you. To listen for the whispered words youve longed a lifetime to hear: