The ideas for this post come directly from a book I am reading called Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Healthier, Happier You by Dr. Henry Cloud.
The first section of this book explained very clearly that God is grace AND truth, and how desperately we all need both.
Dr. Cloud called truth without grace "judgment". If we just have truth, we feel like we and everyone else must live the truth perfectly. We find ourselves judging ourselves and others harshly for not being able to do everything we know as truth.
On the other hand, grace without truth is described as "license". If we have only grace, we can do whatever we want. This might sound good, but the consequences of this are just as bad as living in judgment. Living this way, without truth as a guide is like trying to navigate the Amazon Jungle without help, and without knowledge of what is dangerous and what isn't.
To illustrate this principle Dr. Cloud tells the story of the woman taken in adultery and how Christ used both grace and truth. With grace he loved the woman even as an adulterer. With truth, he recognized her sin, and lovingly instructed her to sin no more.
And Time? This is what God gives us to become more like Him. We do this when we access His grace and His truth. But whether time does us any good or not is determined by how willing we are to share our true selves with God and with others. Bringing our true, real, selves into God's light allows us to feel His grace. His love for us no matter what happens. It also allows us to be open to His truth so that we can make progress, and become better.
It is easy to overbalance on the side of truth or grace. But growth comes from recognizing both. I need to have grace towards myself when I make mistakes, and continue to reach for truth. I need to have grace towards others always, because only when given grace will any of us feel the desire or ability to change.
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