Growing through grace is a challenging concept when more and more people are facing exhaustion from work, the feeling of “not being enough,” broken relationships, and spiritual fatigue.
But does this mean we can overlook this essential growth trait for humans?
No, we cannot.
Receiving and extending grace is crucial so that we don’t walk the path without purpose. Yes, it’s hard, but with practice, everything is possible.
However, what is also essential is that you should know what you are practising and why.
Shooting an arrow without a target is just a piece of material thrown into the open.
But if you have a target, it’s an arrow.
Therefore, to help you grow through grace in life, at work, or anywhere else, I’ve written this article using lessons from my personal experiences. Because every experience is a shared human experience, I believe they will help you practice it in the right manner.
Or at least you’ll do it with astute clarity.
Table of Contents
- What does “Growing through grace” really mean?
- Why growth feels so hard for many of us
- 3 core ways to grow through grace (Practical + Personal)
- The role of faith or inner belief in grace-based growth
- How to start growing through grace today
- Ready to grow through grace? (Conclusion)
What does “Growing through grace” really mean?
When we sit to eat our food, we have a clear idea of what we are about to eat.
We may not know the process behind it or the complete ingredients, but we know what that food is.
Growing through grace is no different. Before we grow through it, we should know what “Grace” actually means. For many, grace is like:
- Having unearned kindness
- Patience
- Divine favour
You can say a mother cares for her baby even though the baby has done nothing to earn it.
That’s grace.
It reflects that to be loved, you don’t have to love someone. You are loved the moment you are born. Grace doesn’t work on conditions. It works on one simple principle: giving.
But as the world is moving towards materialistic advancements, our thinking has become more and more grind shifted.
More people now believe that in order to have something, we have to give our all.
You don’t deserve anything if you’ve done nothing to achieve it.
But that’s not true.
It’s a thinking that limits our potential of trying, one way or another.
If life meant that you deserve nothing if you haven’t done anything, then what great thing did you do that you got this life?
The instance of your birth is a reflection of grace.
However, it doesn’t mean you find yourself in a situation where you believe you’re entitled to something.
Grace isn’t entitlement; instead, it’s acceptance.
When you feel like you are entitled to receiving happiness, you build your ego. You become so fixated on yourself that you leave no space for someone else.
But growing through grace isn’t about yourself only; it’s about others, too.
And when you think about others, you can’t be rigid; you cannot be in your comfort zone. By accepting this reality, you allow grace to work for you.
Where there’s giving, there’s receiving.
You cannot hold only one side of the truth. When you get hurt, grace will heal you, not because you are entitled to it, but because healing is your nature, and so is grace.
Yes, there are thousands of flaws, but there’s scope for growth.
Yes, you didn’t build the world, but you deserve to be on it.
You haven’t done anything in your life, but you deserve to live because you are part of nature, and for nature, you being there is enough.
And that’s grace.
So, what does growing through grace mean?
Well, it means you don’t let force or scepticism hold on to your mind.
You believe that despite life throwing curveballs at you, there’s a place for acceptance, healing, and transformation.
No matter how hard it gets, you are not alone, and you are not unlovable.
There’s a way to live life with good intensity while not giving yourself a hard time. Not believing that “if you pause or slow down, it will not lead you to greatness” because that’s not how nature works.
Through grace, no matter how slow you are, you will achieve your dreams. You will achieve the love you desire.
You don’t need to rush, you don’t need to force, just keep walking because that’s your nature, and that’s how the grace works.
Why growth feels so hard for many of us
The path you are on will help you grow is unacceptable for many.
They look at the mountain on the other side and feel tempted to climb to achieve greatness. In the pursuit of climbing, they ignore the fact that this new endeavour will bring:
- Hardship
- Challenges and Obstacles
- Risk of Failure
When climbing becomes tough and you are in the middle of it, you see people on different paths reaching different destinations.
You find yourself behind, you find yourself failing.
All these experiences bring your inner judge alive, and you start to criticize yourself. You start again with more intensity, but this time, no room for mistakes.
You look for perfection, which is not possible, and when you stumble upon another stone, you lose all hope.
You feel disconnected.
That’s how you lose grace, and it becomes hard for you to grow with it.
3 core ways to grow through grace (Practical + Personal)
No matter what you do in life, you need a system.
A system to start, a system to execute, and a system to continue. Without a proper system, you will fail. That’s why it is essential you have an idea of beliefs that can assist you in growing through grace.
And the following does the job effectively.
a. Embrace imperfection without stalling progress
We fail to grow through grace when we let imperfection have no space in our lives. We are telling ourselves that flaws are not welcome.
That if you lack a particular thing, you cannot live your dreams or a fulfilling life.
Perfection stops you, perfection keeps you anxious, it keeps you in the same loop, no matter how hard you try to get out of it. And when you’re stuck in a place, it means you are not growing.
That’s what perfection does to people.
However, grace lets you move even though you don’t have the right means. It allows you to be kind to yourself. It motivates us to be humble and continue the progress, no matter how small or slow.
Therefore, allow imperfection in your life. Let it guide you and grow you with grace.
b. Respond to failure with curiosity, not shame
If you’re not allowing imperfection in your life, it means you’re not allowing mistakes to happen. And when they do happen, it gives you a hard time.
You blame yourself, you go hard and try to fix what’s broken, sometimes you succeed, and sometimes you don’t.
When you don’t succeed, it breaks you, forcing you to lose all hope.
You feel like a loser, someone who deserves no kindness, forgiveness, or love. Sometimes, it can go the other way as well.
Some people, after a failure, present themselves as victims and try to continuously access people’s emotional energy. From the outside, they show that they are doing okay, but deep down, they feel shame and loss.
All this is because they don’t let failure be part of the process.
But with grace, you create space for growth without fear. You let broken things add value without asking for perfection.
With grace, you know it’s okay to be not okay, so when a mistake happens, you feel no guilt, no shame, but only a learning, which is part of growing through grace.
c. Offer grace to others—even when it’s hard
Kindness is another form of grace.
When you help others without expecting anything in return, you choose love beyond limits—something that not only lifts others, but you, too.
One act of kindness, empathy, and compassion over judgement can open up people in ways you never thought of.
It can create environments where everyone is willing to support each other, understand each other, and grow together. And this is what we are after when we talk about growing through grace.
Hence, as much as possible, offer grace to others while believing that you are receiving it, too.
The role of faith or inner belief in grace-based growth
Where there’s a place for grace, there’s a place for faith.
The concept of grace is often believed to be a spiritual one. That there’s a divine power always loving you, caring for you, just like our parents did. You can say, we grow by grace through faith.
I am a religious person, so I believe that every single one of us is under the care of God.
The powers of this universe are to make you like one of them. With challenges and obstacles in life, it might feel different, but their ultimate goal is to transform you and grow you into the best version of yourself.
However, if you are not a religious person, then it doesn’t mean there’s no place for faith and grace.
You can have faith in humanity.
You can have faith in Science and technology.
And you can have faith in yourself and your ideas that if you continue to work on them, you’ll grow without restraint.
Truth mixed with hard work gives birth to innovation.
Hence, have faith even if you aren’t a believer in God or a superior being above us.
As the saying goes, “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to. Grace is God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.”
You can have faith when it feels unbelievable or impossible.
Or you can refer to Dallas Willard as he puts grace practically, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action. Grace, you know, does not just have to do with forgiveness of sins alone.”
How to start growing through grace today
You don’t have to do it all. You just need tiny, actionable steps that lead you to grow through grace, with people, and yourself as well.
So, what can you do?
Well, start from a daily self-reflection with compassion.
Be with yourself, show love to yourself, understand your limits, and don’t blame yourself for them. Just be okay with them, and believe despite all the flaws, all the lacks, you are growing.
You are growing.
When you are done with the self-reflection part, you can try other things as well. For example:
- Use a grace-focused journaling prompt.
- Be kind to yourself when you talk to yourself.
- If possible, extend one act of grace to someone else because grace isn’t about receiving, but giving as well.
Remember, you don’t earn grace; it is already given to you, regardless of the situation.
Ready to grow through grace? (Conclusion)
What I have shared above will allow you to be at ease with yourself.
It will help you understand that growth doesn’t require perfection—just presence, patience, and grace. You don’t need fixing; you are what you need to be.
You are not behind, you are becoming.
A dent on the surface gives one the purpose of repairing it, meaning that, in the worst moments, hidden is our growth.
Thank you for reading this post. See you in my next one.
Nathwat Brothers
Sharing life advice that makes sense.
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