The Power of Grace

All of my own naivete, foolishness and nonsense remind me what an incredible gift God's mercy is to have allowed me the room to grow, change, and mature.

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But God’s grace has made me what I am, and his grace to me was not wasted. – 1 Cor. 15:10

Grace Rescued Me

It’s not hard for me to remember many of the mistakes, the errors in judgment, and the downright sins I have committed throughout my life. Some of them make me shudder at the immaturity and selfishness I displayed. Many make me weep at the ugliness revealed in my own heart. Some make me cringe. And others make me thankful I survived. All of them remind me of what an incredible gift God’s mercy is to have allowed me the room to grow, change, and mature.

The Gift of Grace

And then there’s the matter of grace. His mercy gave me space, but his grace enabled me to step into what he has beckoned me to become.

The One who fashioned all things, who holds the power to speak whatever He wills into being (or not being, for that matter), whose name I blaspheme with every act of selfishness, graciously gives what I do not deserve in order to gently lead me back to Him, the source of life. Consequently, every time I think about how His grace has made me who I am, I draw in a breath of peace. His grace is not wasted on me.

Shaped by the Impact of Grace

I am not haunted by my past, I am shaped by it. The many scars do not incapacitate me; they simply flesh out my story and create a backdrop for recognizing joy.

I do not fear my future. The One whose grace has made me who I am still controls the outcome and covers it with the promise that He will complete what He began.

Even in the midst of an incredible amount of unknowns and uncertainties about what tomorrow will hold, His grace is an overwhelming reminder that He is still molding me for my good and for His glory.

Next Steps

Are you sitting in the shame of who you’ve been, wondering how to find life again? Let us help you grab ahold of God’s grace to enable you to become who he is calling you to be.

Key themes in this article: faith after harm, forgiveness

meet the coach

Sharmen Kimbrough

Sharmen Elaine Kimbrough is an identity strategist and the founder of LiveFound, Inc. She holds a Master's degree in professional counseling and spent more than ten years working alongside Dr. David Hawkins at the Marriage Recovery Center, where she developed and led the women's programs. She helps women recognize emotional abuse, coercive control and spiritual bypassing — and recover a self, and the agency to use it.

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Hear from actual clients who have been coached at live found

I especially love that my circumstances and choices are not judged, but rather supported and supplemented with sound and realistic advice.

She has helped me reclaim my identity and grow into the healthiest most steady version of myself.

Every session is such a relief to me because she gives such helpful suggestions that actually work in difficult relationships.