Title: Grace Upon Grace
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: Ephesians 2:1-10
We get a lot of conflicting messages. We are told that hard work hard leads to success. We are told ancestors worked a lot harder and with less success. We are told we must take initiative. We are told to wait on God. We are told to fight for what we want. We are told everything happens for a reason. We are told all the world is sinful. We are told, "It's God's will." We are told to resist evil. We are told, "It's part of God's plan." We are told of God's grace. We are told to suck it up. We are told we must be worthy of everything we would receive. Is it any wonder we might be confused about how to navigate life? What does grace even mean in the context of all those other messages?
My background allowed me a sharper grasp on privilege than many. That was in part due to crossing back and forth between the US and Brazil. In one context I recognized a lot more privilege than in the other. In Brazil, I was the foreigner, but I was from a developed nation and granted deference for that. I was afforded status in Brazil that otherwise came through a great degree of wealth. Meanwhile, one classmate's dad sent the helicopter to pick him up at school, while I took public transit. In the US, I was surrounded by people with swimming pools, trampolines, golf club memberships, ski boats, and electronic games while I was on a reduced-lunch program. Even so, I had traveled much more extensively than any of my peers or extended family, spoke more than one language, and knew how to move between different classes of people despite cultural differences.
In Brazil, I always had an option to leave. Being there was a reversible choice. It was expected I would return to the US for college. Most of my Brazilian friends could only hope for an opportunity to visit Disney World, New York, or Los Angeles. Moving or studying here was a much greater pipe dream. None of this had anything to do with merit. There ...
Author: Christopher Harbin
Text: Ephesians 2:1-10
We get a lot of conflicting messages. We are told that hard work hard leads to success. We are told ancestors worked a lot harder and with less success. We are told we must take initiative. We are told to wait on God. We are told to fight for what we want. We are told everything happens for a reason. We are told all the world is sinful. We are told, "It's God's will." We are told to resist evil. We are told, "It's part of God's plan." We are told of God's grace. We are told to suck it up. We are told we must be worthy of everything we would receive. Is it any wonder we might be confused about how to navigate life? What does grace even mean in the context of all those other messages?
My background allowed me a sharper grasp on privilege than many. That was in part due to crossing back and forth between the US and Brazil. In one context I recognized a lot more privilege than in the other. In Brazil, I was the foreigner, but I was from a developed nation and granted deference for that. I was afforded status in Brazil that otherwise came through a great degree of wealth. Meanwhile, one classmate's dad sent the helicopter to pick him up at school, while I took public transit. In the US, I was surrounded by people with swimming pools, trampolines, golf club memberships, ski boats, and electronic games while I was on a reduced-lunch program. Even so, I had traveled much more extensively than any of my peers or extended family, spoke more than one language, and knew how to move between different classes of people despite cultural differences.
In Brazil, I always had an option to leave. Being there was a reversible choice. It was expected I would return to the US for college. Most of my Brazilian friends could only hope for an opportunity to visit Disney World, New York, or Los Angeles. Moving or studying here was a much greater pipe dream. None of this had anything to do with merit. There ...
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