Ephesians 2:4-5, New Living Translation

"But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!"

In the Bible, we will see that in at least one case, three strikes mean “You are in!” Three strikes resulted in healing and salvation. God doesn't tell us to go back to the dugout if we have messed up, no, His amazing grace forgives us when we repent and gives us another chance to go to bat and reach home.

So, what happens when we mess up? When do we "strike out"? We can go to Jesus, ask for forgiveness and start again. No long walk back to the dugout, just physical and spiritual healing and words of approval from Jesus.

Even if you are a Christian — a grace-walking, forgiveness-seeking, truth-loving Jesus follower — you mess up. Where did we ever get this idea that Christians never mess up? Certainly, if we love Jesus, we are to reflect Him in our lives. But sometimes we throw a curveball and miss the mark - we mess up! And by God’s grace, we are getting better each time we do.

The definition of grace is “the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.”

Grace is this beautiful gift that God offers to people who have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

Don’t you love it when you find these little phrases — “but” and “but now” — in Scripture! It means pay attention! It means God to the rescue. It means grace reigns. 

“But now … righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:21-22, NLT)

But now — thanks to Jesus — God covers us in His righteousness. Sin no longer has a death hold on us. 

We embrace the fact that Jesus’ blood covers this too (whatever this is). For all sin is defeated under the power of grace.

The first thing we need to know when looking for grace when we have messed up is that God will gladly give you forgiveness. Just the act of granting us forgiveness is Him being gracious. Like I stated before, "grace" by definition is receiving something we don’t deserve, and forgiveness is something we don’t deserve.

God’s grace brought Jesus to us and Jesus’ grace brought us to God. The radical grace of God means we can spend an eternity in His paradise getting to know Him more and enjoying Him forever. Without grace, we had been left in despair, knowing our only sure path was a road to destruction that didn’t lead to a loving God at the end.

Therefore, without grace we would never be able to meet God, let alone be His friend. Without grace, the moments at the end of the day with Jesus wouldn’t exist. Lighting candles and whispering through tears to a gracious Father that sits on the chair opposite me would only be a dream unheard of.

We can sing for joy on sad days, forgive our enemy, and turn the other cheek because of Jesus’ grace. We can do the busy days and end up a bundle of mess at the end of them because of Jesus’ grace. We can also see the very face of God because of that grace.

His grace made us and gave us breath. Each day is a gift of His grace. Can you imagine a world without such a gracious creator?

So, next time you strike out, remember to keep your head up without condemnation. Keep the blessed relief and joy in the amazing gifts of justification, redemption, sanctification, and grace we have received.

How wonderful that God wants to bring glory to His name when we mess up. He invites us to give Him space to display His divine goodness and grace through our failures, so get out of the dugout and let Him do it!