Grace is a gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ. The word grace, as used in the scriptures, refers primarily to enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. – LDS.org
A common myth about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that we place an emphasis on works above grace. While we believe the personal choices we make can bring us closer to or lead us farther from God, the foundation of our faith is in Jesus Christ.
Without Jesus Christ, we are lost. We cannot earn our way to heaven. We cannot walk back into the presence of God without fully accepting Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. Still, accepting grace is often difficult. Why do we not embrace this powerful and loving gift with open arms? Consider these and search your heart to see if they apply.
You Want Control
Life is uncontrollable in many ways. We are at the mercy of a fallen world. It is natural to seek ways to control our circumstances. When we feel in control, we gain confidence and peace-of-mind. Inherently, this is not bad. Part of our journey through mortality requires us to learn self-mastery. However, if we hold on to our own will too tightly, we can ignore Christ’s grace to rely on our own power.
We turn heaven’s blessings into rewards for our own hard work. We stop seeking God’s guidance and direction. If we let it, pride can take root in our hearts. We no longer think we need grace.
You Feel Ashamed
In a twisted attack from the adversary, those who need grace most are often the ones to turn away from it. Shame from sins, transgressions, and weakness can make us feel unworthy of grace.
We start to think, God will never forgive me. There is no way to come back from this. I am too far gone.
Our shame stops up from reaching out to Christ. We want to hide and cover ourselves. We fear His rejection. We fear for our own souls.
You Don’t Want It
It seems impossible that anyone would turn away from Jesus when he offers us so much. For many disciples, the choice to walk away from grace is not a conscious one. Instead, it comes from an inner sense and knowledge of what it means to walk with God.
Discipleship is not an easy road, even with abundant blessings. It takes sacrifice, patience, and endurance. Even those with the strongest of faith can be torn down. On some level, we know what is required of us and it scares us. We turn away from God’s grace because we know our hearts will be pricked with a desire to do more, to love more. To become something more.
