Grace Is Greater: God's Plan to Overcome Your Past, Redeem Your Pain, and Rewrite Your Story

by Kyle Idleman

There was going to be a beautiful collision and God had it circled on his calendar. Grace chased this woman down and caught up with her at a well outside of town. Jesus had to go to Samaria.

before we collide with the grace of God, we must collide with the truth of our own sin.

If your assumption about Jesus is that he doesn’t have any interest in you, then there’s a good chance you’ve never had much interest in him. Said another way, it’s not that you don’t want grace. Who wouldn’t want grace? It’s that you’re convinced grace doesn’t want you.

When God’s grace and mercy collide with our shame and guilt, it’s messy but it’s beautiful. Jesus knows everything you ever did, but he wants to make sure you know that his grace is greater.

Simply put, regret is feeling bad about something you have or haven’t done, while shame is feeling bad about who you are or how you think you’re perceived by God and others.

Shame is more connected to your identity, while regret tends to be about something specific you did or did not do.

Second Corinthians 7:10 makes a possible distinction between the way Judas and Peter dealt with their regrets: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (emphasis added).