amazing grace

By Will Barcley

One of my favorite family traditions is our annual trip to the mountains of Cashiers, North Carolina, where we spend the week hiking, playing games, spending nights by a campfire, and playing badminton in the backyard with a beautiful view behind us. Although not all of the hikes are equally appreciated by all members of my family, one that everyone looks forward to is the hike to Rainbow Falls, a relatively short hike that ends at the bottom of a towering 150-foot waterfall. We pack lunches and sit down on the rocks to enjoy its beauty and swim in the cool water.

My favorite activity to do there is to see how close I can get to the bottom of the waterfall. There’s a point where I put my head down and swim as hard as I can, trying my best to fight against the surge of water, but when I look up, I haven’t moved forward an inch. I end up having to go to the side and claw my way along the rocks to get to the bottom.

I was reminded of this experience last Sunday at church. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes that Christ tells us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9 ESV). The pastor used the illustration that in our weakness we often crawl to God with nothing in our hand but a little cup, asking for God to fill it up with his grace. In response, God not only fills our little cup but covers us completely with his overwhelming mercy.

God’s version of sufficient grace and mine often contradict. While I think that I’ll be set with just a cup-full, God lavishes his grace upon me that is more than I could have ever thought to ask for. His blessings are abundant, not just satisfactory.

In the 15 years that my family has gone to Rainbow Falls, we have never once worried whether the waterfall is still flowing. Likewise, God’s abundant and overwhelming grace is never-ending, and we can confidently know that God will always shower us with his grace if we just go to Him.

Will Barcley is a member of the Capital Fellows class of 2024-25. He is from Matthews, NC, and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This year, he is working in a U.S. Senate office on Capitol Hill.

Pictures From The Week

Virginia showing off how outdoorsy she is

Know a Potential Capital Fellow?

If you know a college senior or recent graduate who should consider joining the Capital Fellows program in 2025-26, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is through our Contact Us Form. You can learn more about the program, including application deadlines, by visiting the Capital Fellows website.

About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring, and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.

Pray for the Capital Fellows

As jobs and graduate school opportunities come to fruition for some fellows, the pressure of comparison can rise in those that are still looking. Please pray for both, that they might see the Lord at work in their lives. For those that are still seeking post-Fellows employment or graduate school opportunities, please pray that God would provide for them and enable them to be diligent in their search.

Want to learn more about Season 18? Click the button below to read through their bios!

Meet the Fellows

About The Fellows Initiative

Capital Fellows is part of a network of similar programs across the country. This network is called The Fellows Initiative. There are 34 Fellows programs in TFI, roughly 3,200 alumni living around the world, and more Fellows programs on the way.

If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining TFI by launching a new Fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.