First Lady's Journal

Favor is Fair

by Nancy Gates

What do John the Baptist, Anna the Prophetess, Hannah the mother of Samuel, and Nancy the blogger have in common? We all have names of Hebrew origin that carry the same meaning grace and favor and we all have (or had) the favor of God resting upon our lives. The four of us, along with a group of other handpicked people all have access to the favor of God. It’s a special club.

I am blessed to be counted among the “chosen ones” who can tap in, at will, to the beneficence of God and live the envied lifestyle of an experiential partaker. Aren’t you just drooling over my Ephesians 3:20 life? Well, wipe the drool off your chin and jump in! You too can be a part of our club. In fact, the moment you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became one of His favor‐ites and received His “access granted” wink.

Unlike the favor of God, the favor of man “ain’t fair.” Let’s not confuse the two. Man’s favor is based upon external criteria such as where you live, who you know, the color of your skin, your gender, how much money you make, or how much ivy covers the university you attended. Sadly, a lot of us were disqualified from the womb! But since God is no respecter of persons, His “special club” is open to whosoever will.

I don’t mean to drain all the juice out of one of our favorite expressions “favor ain’t fair”, but the favor of God is fair! He is poised to release His blessing, His kiss, upon anyone who is willing and ready to take the plunge! So why sit on the sidelines turning green while others get the whole rainbow? The only difference between you and them is that they aren’t afraid to lean in and give themselves to God’s plan and do whatever needs to be done to facilitate new direction. When they need doors to open, they aren’t shy about turning a few knobs until they locate the ones that have been earmarked for them.

The infrastructure for favor has already been set, but it’s up to you to further the building process. Experiencing God’s favor requires new disciplines, it requires practice, and yes, sometimes it requires work. But with a new mindset and an expanded level of faith, “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

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