Two things come to mind when I hear the word grace.
On a funny note, Grace is the name I call my accident prone Mariah. I believe she has counted up to 9 casts already and unlimited accidents!
On an enlightening note, I remember standing in church only a few years ago singing “Amazing Grace” a song I have heard in church for 35+ years, but the powerful impact of the words “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved” and that very moment of personal realization of what grace truly is.
There have been so many unstable changes in my life in the last two months and there continues to be. This is a really odd time.
Tomorrow I begin supporting a new CEO. The unstable factor of this is, while I thank God I still have my job, my former CEO takes a close 2nd to my dad. There is a feeling of much safety & security working for a father figure. He is also a very dear family friend.
With all of my unsettling changes in life, I continue to have as many supernatural doors of opportunity open.
I’ve been sitting quiet for two months now. It is a secure place to be. But, I’m starting to feel like I am ready to step back into the world of feeling alive and having fun again.
Yesterday a fresh wave of unfamiliar tears hit me. The tears of I want to move on, I am ready to move on, but the tears of I am afraid to let go and I don’t want to let go overcome me.
God is silent. I feel like I can’t find Him, but I know He is there.
I will continue to sit still.
“Love it patient (patience), love is kind (kindness). Love is not jealous, boastful or proud (trust & humility) …. Love keeps no record of when it has been wronged (forgiveness).” Familiar words to a nice poem in my book.
“Love never gives up (perseverance). Never loses faith (faith). And endures through every circumstance (faithfulness).” The words mind as well be highlighted. I’m not quite sure why they jumped off the page, but they did.
I’m zipping through the chapters and I come to a chapter titled, Grace. This must be God’s grace to me. I have never studied grace, but I’m really intrigued …
“The major function of grace is that it redeems people. When you offer grace, you are able to look beyond others’ faults to see their needs, even when their words or actions are negative.
Grace considers the other person through the eyes of love … Grace offers strength to cover the faults and weaknesses of the other person. You exchange your own strength for the others weakness in order to cover any offenses that might result from their failings.
Grace runs on its own. It does not depend on the goodness of others … Grace maintains a higher level of love. It fuels the relationship with hope because it chooses to focus on the good qualities of the other person. Grace is fully operational even when – especially when – the other person is being impossible. Grace knows there’s a better person underneath and cheers him on.
Grace enables true love to work and allows you to look past things your partner does that offend you. It provides the lifeblood of your relationship. Grace goes against the human grain and keeps you loving long after others have given up. Grace says, “I love you anyway.”
This is the mystery of love – that you can reach past the failures, offenses, and disappointments of the one who let you down to touch the part of him that is good and true and perfect. In that moment you ignite love all over again and both partners have another chance to do the right thing. Grace says, “I understand.”
The chapter goes on. I’ve titled these descriptions and called them tolerance and a high threshold. I’ve never considered grace, from a human perspective.
Sometimes God is quiet. Sometimes we have to sit still … a while longer.
I’m thankful for my will to seek answers. I’m thankful for the answers that I find.
