A few weeks ago I saw this post on Twitter by Andy Stanley:
“Grace is never enough. Grace is always more than enough.”
And then I started thinking about God's amazing grace.
Grace is an invisible gift from God that –
we can’t see … we can’t touch … we can’t hear …
we can’t smell … we can’t taste.
It’s not something we can hoard or save … it’s not something we can literally give to others …
it’s really not even something we can “explain”.
However, we can …
See young widowed Mommy put one foot in front of the other as she raises her daughter whose Daddy never held her in his arms before he became our nation’s hero.
Feel every hug & kiss from a young child whose hands and face are sticky from her pear juice and banana popsicles, but she just wants to be close to those who give her love and security.
Hear the sounds of nature through the calls of animals, the wind blowing through the trees, the rustling of flowing water in rivers ... the nature made by the same Creator God who created man in His own image.
Smell the fresh blooms of renewal in the springtime as God reveals His promise after a long cold season of winter.
Taste each breath of air as God allows us to inhale and exhale -- our every breath is only taken by the grace of God.
God in His infinite wisdom and power gives us His grace exactly when we need it. Paul tells us in
II Corinthians 12:9 “And He (God) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
This verse is not to say that God “rations out” grace. He doesn’t look at us and say “you’ll only need a drop of grace for this situation, but maybe a larger portion for the next time.” Even His most sufficient grace is always given in abundance, and there’s always an endless supply.
It also hit me on my way to church this morning that God is saying
“don’t look for any other way to get through this situation.
My grace will lead you through.
I will surround you with people who will give you support and encouragement during the trying times.
I will give you strength to go forward even on the days when you think you can’t take another step.
I AM ”
And grace is my prayer. I had shared that the life of my hometown “Coach” had been taken on New Years Eve. Yesterday morning I learned that his daughter – my childhood friend – lost her courageous battle with breast cancer that had spread in a relatively short amount of time. She left this world just 23 days after her dad’s death, and just one month before she would celebrate her 47th birthday.
This hits me hard.
Perhaps because we started our first year of school together & continued to stay in class with each other for many years to follow…
perhaps because we're both Mothers ...
perhaps in her delight over my granddaughter Lucy ...
perhaps because we had lost touch with other over the past 30 years, but reconnected on Facebook & I had the privilege of walking beside her through this journey over the past year and a half (even if just over the Internet) ...
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Romans 12:15
Heaven certainly gained a courageous angel, my friend.
May the grace of God surround your family …
your children, your Mother, your brother, your sister & all your family members …
your friends whether close or over cyberspace …
your acquaintances …
and everyone whose life you ever touched.
You are already missed here on earth, my dear friend,
but I am so thankful that your pain and suffering are behind you.
‘Til we meet again on God’s side of heaven …
we who are here on earth will press forward in His grace.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4
And grace will lead us home …
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