"...but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

how beautiful is this analogy?
grace has amazing hands that are so willing.
letting go of what i hold dear, so tightly, so defiantly.
free to be. be who He has made me to just simply be.
to live an abundant life. to give thanks always.
blessed to be a blessing. filled with a joy that's unexplainable.
except between me and the Lord--our secret.
i have struggled with feeling worthless & disrespected.
no longer. i can bask in the freedom of His love and mercy.

other lovely truths i could not have put any better:

• "there's only grace. there's only love. there's only mercy and believe me, it's enough. your sins are gone without a trace. and there's nothing left now. there's only grace."
  matthew west.
  

• "no greater joy. no greater peace. no greater love than this. it's worth it, brothers. it's worth it, friends. to know your maker, to lose your sin. did you know that you are dearly loved?"
  jimmy needham.
  

• "holiness is wholeness. to be holy is to be wholly the Lord's."
  walter kaiser.
  

• "[Satan's] goal in life is to counterfeit the works of God. this counterfeiting effort is his most effective ploy, for the more closely he can imitate God's work, the less likely men will be inclined to seek God or pursue His will."
  stanley ellison.
  

• "though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
  1 peter 1:8.