What being afraid of being beaten recently taught me about grace.

I really thought I was in big trouble.

I was reading the Scriptures this morning and something popped out to me that I pray is as helpful to you as it is to me. In showing you this, I’m going to describe something that happened to me recently that is one of the most anxiety-producing interactions I’ve had in decades. In fact, I truly was prepared for physical violence as a result.

Let’s start with today, though.

I began reading the book of 2 Timothy this morning. It is the Apostle Paul’s “goodbye” letter to his protege, Timothy. His final charge. His swan song, so to speak. At the beginning of the second chapter, Paul says this:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

One of the things that I have really enjoyed as I have practiced (yes, you have to practice it!) abiding with Jesus over the last two and a half years is how the smallest things can teach me the biggest lessons. That’s the case with this verse. Here’s what I have missed in this one sentence every single time I’ve read it previously: When you truly understand God’s grace, it is not weakness but strength. In fact, we literally draw strength from God’s grace. That grace involves admitting we are in need of that grace. It involves admitting we are broken people. It involves admitting we are far from perfect—constantly. It involves admitting that left to our own devices we jack everything up!

And in admitting that weakness, we have strength.

“Jon, that’s not mind-boggling. I’ve known that for years,” you might say. OK, that’s great. And I have known that truth for years as well. What I’m saying, though, is Paul sums up that message here in just 10 words: “be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

That’s all it takes. Ten words. And an entire concept is unlocked. That’s what I’m saying is mind-boggling. And I think the concept is really important for us to embrace. How and why? Well, let me show you practically what happens when you embrace “God’s grace is strength” in your life.

To do that, I need to tell you a story. I’m going to change some details to protect identities, but the heart of the story is still the same. It involves a time recently where I truly feared I was going to be the victim of physical violence. Here it goes.