The Gift of Grace

When I was a child, I followed the tugging in my heart and walked the long aisle to the altar. I knelt down and asked Jesus to come into my heart. At that moment, I was given a large gold box with the letters G-R-A-C-E engraved on top. I smiled and took the box, thinking I understood the significance of the contents it contained.
When I got home, I gently placed the precious box on the top shelf in my closet. I smiled again and left it there, hoping to keep it safe.
I kept the box in the closet for many years. As we moved, the box moved with me, remaining in a secure place on the top shelf. When I grew up and moved into my own home, I placed the box on the top shelf in the closet, smiling briefly, remembering the walk to the altar as a child.
It was not until recently that I reached into the closet and brought the box down. I blew the dust off the cover and ran my fingers gently over the engraving. As I lifted the lid, I lost my breath for a moment. I was intrigued by the numerous gifts lying inside, completely unused.
I had always known that my salvation was locked safely inside, but as I rifled through the box, I found strength, love, and mercy. I found gifts and abilities that I never knew I had. Within this box, God had graciously given me everything I needed for life and godliness, success in every endeavor, and peace beyond human reason. For so many years I had tried to live without ever uncovering these gifts. If only I had opened this box long ago...