The "Other" Side of Grace

We’ve seen God guide through Ease, Resistance, and Favor

When Whitney and I landed in the deep south of Cape Town, we felt something we couldn’t quite name at the time. The moment our feet hit Kommetjie soil, it was like the atmosphere itself said, welcome! You’re right where you’re supposed to be.  We assumed it was “South Africa" …or maybe “Cape Town” that was aligning with our spirits.

Conversations cracked open effortlessly. We met people who connected us to other people who connected us to doors we didn’t even know existed yet. It was like the whole region already knew we were coming and had arranged a reception committee.

We didn’t feel clever. We didn’t feel strategic. We felt carried. Grace wasn’t just forgiving our mistakes… It was empowering our mission.

And I think that part of grace doesn’t get talked about enough.

We usually use “grace” as a word for mercy, the way God covers our weakness and fills the gaps we can’t. And that’s true. But biblically, grace is also power, strength, and enablement.  There’s ANOTHER side to grace

Paul said,

“But by the grace of God I am what I am… and His grace toward me was not without effect. I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Grace worked.
Grace empowered.
Grace moved things forward.

In Acts 11, the early church sends Barnabas to check out what’s happening in Antioch, and the text says:

“When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced…” (Acts 11:23)

Grace was visible.
You could see it on a people.
You could feel it in a place.

That’s what life felt like, a grace you could see.

Looking back, we now realize God wasn’t just being kind to us while we figured out life in South Africa. He was empowering the exact foundations we would need for a mission we didn’t even fully understand yet.

The speed of relationship-building wasn’t normal.  It was grace with a purpose.  Grace as guidance.

Sometimes God leads by speaking.
Sometimes He leads by closing doors.
Sometimes He leads by putting a supernatural tailwind behind you so strong that it feels irresponsible not to follow it.

That’s what we were experiencing while we were getting our feet under us in Kommetjie.

It was like opportunity kept chasing us.

And Then… the Grace Lifted

Eventually we shifted to a different Airbnb.  A “better” one on paper. Safer. Cleaner. Closer to stores. More modern. Plenty of hiking. Less “Africa,” more “Europe.”

A place you could proudly recommend on TripAdvisor.

But something changed the moment we got there.

It wasn’t sin.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t disappointment.

It was just that the grace wasn’t there.

Nothing was wrong. But no sense of “you’re home.”  No feeling that we’re right n the middle of God’s plan for us.  We felt like tourists in a beautiful area …but there was no refreshing in our down time - it’s like every moment requires us to manage life outside our comfort zone.  It was unsustainable.

It was as if the wind that carried us stopped blowing.

And that contrast taught us something we didn’t know how to articulate before:

You get breadcrumbs to discern calling by where grace empowers your movement.

Let me be clear - not every hard moment is a sign you’re in the wrong place. Sometimes resistance is spiritual pushback against the right assignment.

Here’s the distinction we’ve felt:

• A Grace Lifted: things simply don’t move. No refreshing. Things feel self-driven. No momentum.
• Attack: the right things do move, but you’re opposed, pressured, or disrupted.
• A Grace Lifted: you feel foggy and dull.
• Attack: you often feel focused, even if tired
• A Grace Lifted: feels like stagnation
• Attack: feels like pushback

We noticed the emotion first …it did NOT feel good, but then we noticed what was around it.
We Self-willed and forced traction, which worked kind of
But there was no current we could ride.
There was no alignment in our spirits

So we paid attention.

The contrast between Kommetjie and the other area gave us clarity we weren’t even looking for.

We now know that we are meant to go deep in Kommetjie, Masiphumelele, and Ocean View.

This is where we’re supposed to:

• grow roots
• build friendships
• invest time and money
• raise Maverick
• partner with churches
• pour into community
• serve long-term
• say yes to whatever Jesus is building

Grace didn’t just invite us into South Africa.
Grace aimed us once we arrived

And the grace that empowered those early, wild connections is the same grace that’s giving us clarity about where to plant our lives.

Not because everything is easy, but because the ease told us where the story began, and the absence told us where it didn’t.

The Empowering Side of Grace

Some people wait for a booming voice or a prophetic word to confirm their calling. Those are good. But sometimes God leads with something far simpler:

A grace that goes ahead of you.
A grace that opens doors before you knock.
A grace that feels like alignment, momentum, and wind in your sails.

And sometimes He clarifies your calling by withdrawing that grace from everywhere except the place you’re meant to grow.

Grace doesn’t just make up for your mistakes.
Grace empowers your mission.
Grace reveals your assignment.
Grace guides your feet home.

And for us, home is Kommetjie.