Hurriedly we have passed by a place – time after time, the beauty of the moment has completely escaped us – until one day, a fragrance rises or the sun radiates or the dew sparkles or the bird sings.

Suddenly we stop, "How did I miss that?" we ask, but we know that the surprise encounter is intended to slow us down, to catch something that has been appointed for that moment. Can we afford the time? God has set us aside to capture another essence of himself – we know that the Lord is doing something unique, for it is time once again to catch a glimpse of his grace.

The surprise of the Siberian iris can be one such encounter – strolling through the late spring garden can reveal an exhilarating look at how the Lord weaves simple plant matter into a most delicate and ornate creation. Three-inch bright flowers, purple, blue, pink, occasionally white or yellow, suddenly appear before us and our breath is taken away. Lord, you are so very good! Your grace is all we need.

In early spring, clusters of simple yet elongated grass-like leaves begin reaching for the sky, taking two months before they open. The leaves would never let us suspect the intricacy of these open-faced flowers with nine petals: three lower downward facing petals called "falls" because they fall or bend towards the ground, three "stylearms" that shield the base of the "falls", and three upper arching petals known as "standards." The falls, stylearms, and standards may be of one color or they may be in breathtaking contrast – either way, their elegance represents how well grace, when offered, can be received.

The grace that is suggested by the iris may be attributed to a balance between the falls, stylearms, and the standards. Grace infers falling or bending downward because, based on past performance, the subsequent action may not be merited. The stylearms cover the past performance with abundant forgiveness. The standards suggest an expression of hope as they look up at what should be and hopefully will come. In this sense, grace might be thought of as an interesting balance between humility, forgiveness, and hope: humbling ourselves despite failures of the past (the falls), forgiving the past (the stylearms), and passionately hoping for something better (the standards).

Grace is favor, ignoring who the person is or what they have done. That favor is humbly offered, putting aside those things that may have happened. The favor is presented with hope but not with an expectation – there may never be a positive response and that is perfectly ok. Grace recognizes that the kindness which is offered may not be deserved, but it is extended anyway. Grace is extended as a blessing.

While it is recognized that God has granted grace to born-again Christians, the sense here is that grace is for us to offer in the same way to others. Forgiveness is that portion of grace that ignores the past, putting it behind us. Kindness is that portion of grace that propels us forward in hope.

Note how Peter’s words compel us to increased grace:

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord (2 Peter 1:2).

The result is God-given grace, extended in humility, forgiveness, and kindness to those that may or may not deserve it. As the iris suggests, may God give us increased grace and peace – may we know God and Jesus more and more intimately.