by Micah Andrews, CEO

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 [NIV]

As we quickly depart the Holy Week, I am hopeful that we do not as quickly depart the meaning of these days. Jesus did not leave His glorious position in Heaven and come to earth to suffer and die so that we could accept Him and resolve our eternal destination once and for all. Although this is true, according to His words, He came to give us life; both eternal and the number of years that we have breath. Through His death, burial and resurrection He settled our sin account and paid for it all and the result is eternal life with Him BUT He also did these things that we might live our life for Him while here on earth. In other words, He died for now and for later.

His entire life on earth was lived in such a way that it would be an example for each of us in how we should live our lives. Jesus was firm, He was straightforward, He was eloquent, He was common in an uncommon kind of way and He was graceful and full of grace.

I read Seth Godin’s statement, referring to being graceful, some time ago and it really caught me:

“Graceful is artistic, elegant, subtle, and effective. Graceful makes things happen and brings light but not heat.”

I have found a new life trait that I want to capture. GRACEFUL. It makes me think of an old black & white movie with some guy  gliding across the floor with some long-haired blonde, moving seamlessly, almost in slow motion, nothing else in the room matters and barely seems to exist. GRACEFUL. The word itself just puts you at ease. But then comes reality – most days my life feels anything but graceful. Chaotic, maybe. Hectic, sure. Frantic, at times. Some days I feel like I should have become a fireman since all I do is put out fires. I want to be a GRACEFUL leader. I desire to be a man who is firm but fair.  A man who shares light but not heat. I’ve often said, “How you say what you say is more important than what you actually say.” So many people never hear your words because they feel your heat, which overpowers your light. I want to be more like Jesus… graceful.

Then comes the follow up quote from Godin:

“The thing is, no one is born graceful. It’s not a gift, it’s a choice.”