“The disciple living by grace rather than law has undergone a decisive conversion–a turning from mistrust to trust. The foremost characteristic of living by grace is to trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
To believe deeply, as Jesus did, that God is alive and present and at work in human life is to understand that I am a beloved child of this Father, and hence, free to trust. That makes a profound difference in the way I relate to myself and others; it makes an enormous difference in the way I live. To trust Abba, both in prayer and life, is to stand in childlike openness before a mystery of gracious love and acceptance. […]
To be alive is to be broken. And to be broken is to stand in need of grace…There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.
When a man or woman is truly honest (not just working at it), it is virtually impossible to insult them personally. There is nothing to insult. Those who were truly ready for the kingdom were just such people. Their inner poverty of spirit and rigorous honesty had set them free. They had nothing to be proud of.”
-Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
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