Legalism Vs Grace
Oct 31, 2019
This past Monday, I did not even realize that it was a Monday before I had put on makeup. I know that I am truly in the habit of going makeupless each and every Monday, or at least I had been. It’s in my planner, it is in my digital calendar, and it did not happen. When I was reaching for my mascara that morning, I started going through the activities of the day in my head. You see, I had been in the habit of putting on full makeup for the past 2 days due to a video shoot, and then a music video shoot that were both over the weekend. So the makeup went on, regardless of the date. So here I am, putting my mascara on and thinking about the day. I had a particular appointment that day that I was literally thinking, “I wonder if that would be awkward for them, since I won’t have makeup on?”. This was my very thought as I was swiping that mascara on to my lashes. I looked in the mirror and instantly felt guilty. I felt like a fraud. I felt like I was lying to myself and to others. I felt like I had to take all of the makeup off. I felt like I would be judged and possibly unfollowed. Gasp, not that! But then I remembered the truth. Grace Trumps Legalism Every Time.
Grace Trumps Legalism Every Time
While it was only about 30 seconds of thinking negatively about “the situation I had gotten myself into,” it was a brief look into my past of feeling like I wasn’t enough. You see, this very thought process would have taken me down several years ago. I have been a planner for a very long time, but I haven’t always been. I remember in high school taking my very first personality test. I was either 16 or 17, I can’t remember exactly, but I know that I was driving. I remember getting the results back, reading through them, and driving directly to a store that sold paper planners. After reading through all of the positives about my personality I felt awesomely identified and confident. But, after reading the negatives of my personality, I knew that I needed to get a planner and start writing things down, otherwise nothing would probably ever get done. I have a driven personality that has a caveat of being overly social and overly spontaneous. I was more concerned about that spontaneity holding me back. I knew for sure that it was there. So I have kept my paper planning system down for years, sure I have used different types of paper planners over the years, as products have become more readily available, but I have only dabbled in digital planning… I am also very visual. I have to hop back on this point though. Had I become so legalistic about planning. Like, the actual plan was now running my life? Was Makeupless Monday now about a perfect plan, instead of the message? I was able to quickly snap myself back to reality because the entire point of. Makeupless Monday is the candid life message of my Makeupless days. So, instead of being legalistic about exactly what I had set out to do that day, I decided to give myself some grace. Grace will always give you more freedom. Legalism will always cap off your true potential.
What is Legalism?
“Legalism will always direct your ways to an end that you expect. While it may keep you in check, it will also force you to do activities that time does not allow for, or become unnecessary due to circumstances. Legalism can make you feel right or vindicated when dealing with others. Legalism helps you ‘believe’ that you are in control, in situation where there is no need or opportunity to truly be in control”
What is Grace?
“Grace is welcoming. Grace washes over you cleaning your heart and soul. Grace is nourishing, loving, kind. Grace builds up. Grace picks you up when you’ve fallen. Grace holds you in its arms and breathes fresh life into you. Grace is where you find your worth. Grace is where you find your strength.”
Which of these two ideas do you wish to freely give to yourself and to others. When we give ourselves more grace, we are able to give more grace to others. When we give ourselves more legalism, we are able to give more legalism to others.
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