Grace means what exactly???

 I know we have all heard it said or seen it written somewhere.  God's Grace is everywhere but what does it really mean?  According to google Grace is a gift freely given even though it's not deserved, it empowers people to be able to grow in their relationship with God and receive salvation.  I attended church in a very small town in Illinois and missed this entirely in my younger years.  Youth group to me was a time that I got to hang out with some friends and do the right thing by going to church.  I didn't understand what it really was about.  I believed in God and Jesus but never truly knew them or understood the sacrifice made to give us Grace and make us Flawless.  Then one night at a summer church camp things clicked for me but being honest I kept it to myself out of fear of how people might perceive me.  So my relationship was kept between God and me in private.  I now know this was a massive mistake.  I'm a big believer now in a small change of perception can be life altering.  Fast forward to present, its just a couple years lol.  I met Amy online when I was searching for, well everything.  The very fabric of my being had been shredded and taken from me.  I had no idea that God's plan would lead me to Amy in such an amazing way.  I will save that for another time but trust me its special.  I was reluctant at first to attend church with her.  I don't really know why, silly I know.  I didn't want to include a lot of specific details if possible but I will in this circumstance.  We attend Valley Church in Terre Haute Indiana and this is where I met Brett Parks for the very first time.  Brett is the lead minister at Valley.  He is actually leaving the church to go into missions full time next year.  For selfish reasons we want him to stay.  He is incredible, but we understand why.  God's plan again taking you where you might not expect.  I asked Amy to marry me and to her detriment she accepted.  Sorry sweetheart I'm far from perfect.  We had couples counseling with Brett before the wedding was to take place.  I remember one of the first things Brett asked me was what did Grace mean to me?  Honestly I stumbled through the answer, I wasn't entirely sure.  I still seek info on Grace now.  Funny the more questions you ask the more answers you can find.  God's Grace to me now means that he sent his only son to suffer more than any one person will ever suffer so that he could take on all peoples sins and give us the opportunity to be with God.  He loved his son Jesus so much that he allowed the Crucifixion to take place just so we could be redeemed.  Because of sin we were separated from God and his Grace.  Jesus Christ then defeats death and rises from his tomb.  That is absolutely amazing.  What we all deserve is Hell.  We are all sinners.  That one act washed that all away.  This is what I think about when I see or hear the words God's Grace.  Does this give us permission to go and do what we want??  NO. however what it does mean is that if you do screw up in one way or another there is forgiveness when there was none.  That's a very comforting thought because I make loads of mistakes.  There was only one sinless man, Jesus Christ.  No one is perfect although some think they are, SUPRISE you're not.  Sorry not sorry.  LOL.  God's Grace is there for all of us.  All you have to do is accept it into your heart.  Belief is a simple thing.  Just a change of perception.  Faith and Grace are FREE.  No strings attached.  I mean a Big Mac is like 5 bucks now and the ice cream machine never works so come on.  You have the Holy Spirit in you, if you didn't know that well spoiler alert.  Perhaps one day I can write something about my thoughts on that as well.  God loves you and wants to talk with you right now.  He is an amazing listener.  You may feel scared to let others know what you believe or what place you may be in at this moment but God doesn't judge.  He is the Father, and Loves You Regardless.