♪ He rules the world... ♪

...with truth and grace... ♪

The Hallmark Channel has been running some sort of Christmas in July thing, calling it a Christmas Classics weekend.  Don't go thinking it's all It's a Wonderful Life  and Miracle on 34th Street.  Not those kind of Christmas classics.  More like The Christmas Card  and Moonlight and Mistletoe. 

Now, this is actually perfect for me, because I love Christmas, and I love cheesy, predictable romantic movies, and these are all of that rolled into one.  Also, it's crazy hot out, and I'm really not all that into summer, and I'm ready for it to be winter and Christmas. 

So, yay, good weekend for me! 

Last night, though, one of the movies had "Joy to the World" in it, and it got me thinking.  He rules the world with truth and grace.  Truth, and grace.  Truth. And. Grace.  If that's how Christ rules, isn't that how we're supposed to rule, or live, as well?  With truth and grace?

It's such a hard balance.  Sometimes when we're busy proclaiming truth, we forget to do it with grace.  It's easy to stand on a mountaintop and get so worked up about what is right that we don't take care to find out what the people listening to us are actually hearing.  And sometimes, we're so eager to dispense grace that we take no care for the truth.  Sometimes, depending on what place people are at in life, truth can sting.  And when we try to offer grace with a guarantee that there's not sting involved, truth can get sacrificed.  I don't think anybody does either intentionally, but it happens. 

That's one of the reasons I really like Grace for the Good Girl - it gives me the truth I need to hear, but it does so with grace. There are parts that sting, but it's good for me, and it's followed immediately by grace.

Truth and grace is hard, but it's important.  I need to try to do a better job of it myself. 

He rules the world with truth and grace.  May we always remember that.