Fall into Grace
There are certain songs that are epochal—as if one song became the defining anthem of a particular season of life.
I know you know what I mean.
It’s the song you sang at the top of your lungs over and over again in your car after the breakup with your first love. We all have them. And every time we hear those songs, we’re instantly transported back to that exact moment in time.
There’s actually a term for this: Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories (MEAMs).
Because music is so deeply tied to emotion and processed across multiple regions of the brain, a familiar melody can instantly retrieve vivid, emotionally charged memories the moment we hear it.
My journey with God has been intimate and life-changing. Seasons of spiritual growth, overcoming fear, and the stretching of my faith have marked some of the most pivotal moments of my life. And almost every season has had its own anthem.
For me, one of those anthems is Run to the Father by Cody Carnes.
Every time I hear the lyric, “Run to the Father, fall into grace,” an image from the Snuggle fabric softener commercials of the ’80s and ’90s immediately comes to mind. I picture the Snuggle Bear gently falling backward into a mountain of warm, freshly dried laundry—completely caught, cradled, and cushioned by its softness.
Oddly enough, that’s what I imagine God’s perfect grace looks and feels like.
In 2020, I was exhausted.
I had remarried in 2016, the same year my son was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease. It ravaged his body. He was malnourished, in constant pain, and the medical journey was anything but easy.
There were incredible blessings and provisions that swept us off our feet during that season. But the day-to-day battles—the six-hour infusions every six weeks, an hour away from home—wore me down.
Before he became sick, I was just beginning to discover what a “normal” life looked like. I was finally experiencing freedom from fear and abuse. I was praying with great expectation for what I believed would be my promised season.
I felt like I had almost reached the Promised Land.
Instead, life became heavier than ever.
I was weary.
I wanted to escape the hard.
And then I heard the song that changed everything.
When I listened to Run to the Father, something inside me awakened. Those words breathed life into my burdened soul. It was as though my spirit sprang to its feet and ran toward my Father as fast as it could.
And He was there.
Our Abba was there, waiting for me.
His presence engulfed every part of my being with His glory, His peace—oh, that indescribable peace—and His patient, unfailing love.
For the first time, I felt completely free to fall into grace.
His love whispered that He wasn’t waiting for my life to fall into place. He wasn’t waiting for my chaos to settle down, my house to be perfectly ordered, or my children to have everything figured out.
He simply wanted to be with me.
I knew every ugly thing I had ever done.
I knew God had a front-row seat to every atrocious sin I had committed and every heartbreaking moment I had lived through.
Yet over the previous couple of years, He dismantled every lie I had believed about myself. He set me free from the relentless fear that had held me captive for so long. He gently took my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh and a new spirit.
Despite every attempt I had made to run from Him, His grace caught me.
His love caught me.
It cradled me.
And for the first time, I truly believed I was loved.
For the first time, I trusted God’s love for me—not because of who I had been, but in spite of it.
At last, I understood grace.
He really loves who you really are.
He saw—and still sees—the train wreck I believed myself to be. He witnessed every failure, every wound, every shame-filled chapter. Yet He never took His eyes off my heart.
And friend…
The same is true for you!!
Reflection Questions
What song instantly transports you back to a defining season of your life? What memories or emotions does it awaken?
Has God ever used a song to speak to your heart? If so, what was He teaching you in that season?
Are you carrying a burden that you were never created to carry alone?
What keeps you from running to the Father? Shame? Fear? Pride? Disappointment? The feeling that you need to “get your life together” first?
What would it look like for you to simply fall into His grace today instead of striving to earn His love?
Can you believe that God already knows every part of your story—the beautiful, the broken, and everything in between—and still delights in you?
Where have you experienced God’s grace catching you when you thought you had fallen too far?
If you truly believed that God isn’t waiting for you to become “better” before welcoming you into His presence, how would that change the way you approach Him today?
What burden can you lay at your Father’s feet today?
Prayer
Abba, thank You that I never have to earn Your love. Thank You for inviting me to come just as I am—tired, broken, fearful, and weary. Help me stop carrying burdens You never asked me to bear. Teach me to trust that Your grace is enough to catch me every single time I run to You. Thank You for seeing every part of me and choosing to love me anyway. Today, I choose to run to You again. Amen.