My sister Sara had this By Grace Alone necklace, pictured above, and she also gifted me one. Grace is the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
She wanted us both to remember that when life feels out of control, we shouldn’t try to control it. We should surrender it to God, who is in control.
What I have found is that the harder I try to control a situation, the more anxiety and fear control me. But when I let go and let God control the outcomes, I feel His perfect peace.
If grace is the foundation of our faith, then abiding is the way we live it out.
When Jesus says in John 15:5, “…without Me you can do nothing,” He doesn’t leave us there in helplessness—He immediately invites us into something deeper: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” This is not a command rooted in pressure, but an invitation rooted in relationship.
To abide means to remain, to stay, to dwell.
It’s not a striving word—it’s a staying word.
So often, we approach our walk with God like a performance. We try harder, do more, fix ourselves, prove our devotion. But abiding shifts the focus entirely. It calls us away from self-effort and into constant connection.
Think about a branch on a vine. The branch doesn’t strain to produce fruit. It doesn’t wake up each day determined to be more fruitful. It simply stays connected. Everything it needs flows from the vine—nutrients, strength, life itself.
Jesus is reminding us: You are the branch. I am the source.
Abiding is choosing connection over control.
It looks like:
- Turning your thoughts back to God throughout the day
- Sitting with His Word, not just to check a box, but to hear His voice
- Praying honestly, not perfectly
- Surrendering your worries instead of trying to manage everything on your own
- Trusting Him in the in-between, not just in the breakthrough
Abiding is less about a moment and more about a posture.
It’s waking up aware that you need Him.
It’s walking through your day dependent on Him.
It’s ending your day resting in Him.
And here’s the beautiful truth: abiding is where grace becomes tangible.
When you abide, you begin to experience the very power of God working in you—doing what you could never do on your own. That patience you didn’t have? It grows. That peace that made no sense? It settles in. That strength when you felt weak? It shows up.
Not because you manufactured it—but because you remained connected to the One who supplies it.
Abiding also means trusting that God is at work even when you don’t feel it.
A branch doesn’t see the inner workings of the vine, but growth is still happening. In the same way, there are seasons where God feels quiet, distant, or unseen. But abiding says, “I will stay anyway. I will trust that You are still moving, still shaping, still providing.”
This is where many people struggle—not in starting with God, but in staying with Him.
But abiding is not about perfection; it’s about returning.
Every time your mind wanders—come back.
Every time you feel distant—draw near again.
Every time you try to take control—release it back to Him.
Grace makes abiding possible, and abiding keeps us positioned to receive grace.
So instead of asking, “What more do I need to do?”
Maybe the better question is, “Where do I need to stay?”
Stay connected.
Stay surrendered.
Stay aware of His presence.
Because by grace alone, you are sustained—and through abiding, you experience it every single day.
With love and joy,
Laura