Infinite Grace

The following is a true story of what happened this past weekend at the Women of Faith conference in Atlanta. True story, and very powerful.

As the speaker told her story, illustrating her point, she held the audience in rapt attention. The story was a good one, full of gesticulating and humor, and the women to whom she spoke were eager to hear the end of it. How would the story come back around? How would she tie it in to her talk? How would this one speak to their hearts?

Then, at a pivotal moment in the story, it happened. The word came out. The word that no one expected to hear at a Christian women's conference. The word that could have been easily substituted but which, in all honesty, was true to the way it had happened. She said the word that everyone probably would have said in that situation, but no one would admit to.....only she had said it in front of an arena full of women.

Before the word left her mouth, her complexion turned a surprising shade of crimson. Something had obviously gone wrong, and she was obviously mortified. Her hands flew to her face and covered her mouth as her eyes grew wide. "I'm so sorry," she said, over and over, clearly humiliated that such a word could have escaped her mouth at such a moment and in such a place. "I'm just so sorry. Please know that I am very sorry."

As she stood in horror and eventually made her way off the stage, unable to finish her talk, the arena burst into thunderous applause. This woman - who, moments ago, had been on a pedestal few could live up to, and who had a reputation within the Christian community as a woman of tremendous influence - had become vulnerable. Suddenly, she was real. Suddenly, she was just like the rest of them, and they had never respected her more. She was not perfect, but in her flaws she gave them hope. Cheers and applause escorted her to her seat, despite her obvious embarrassment and desire to escape the entire scene.

Then, in a moment more powerful than any moment of the conference, the audience began chanting.

"Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace."

Tears poured from the speaker's eyes as she realized what was happening. Though she had just spoken and sung of God's grace in her presentation, the audience was demonstrating grace unlike any she could have expected in that moment. Despite her grievous error, they forgave her. Despite her clear imperfection, they loved her.

And in the middle of it all, a young woman in the third balcony came to understand grace in a way that she had never understood it before.

Grace. Infinite grace.