Grace

Grace

My new favorite word for the last many months has been “Grace”. I picture grace to be a beautiful antique pottery jar full of cool clear water filling a dry empty cup; or a cloud of heavy raindrops falling on dusty, dry earth to make it rich and viable again. I think in pictures a lot.

Anyway, grace is something that I have had to pray for, a lot. I think of all the people who have shown me what grace is, and there are so many. They don’t even realize it because it is a part of their being. That is what I strive for. I have prayed for that so much lately, to show grace to others, like I have been shown. I was struggling with this on a particular day recently and called my little sister. She did her sisterly duty and listened without condemnation. She is much wiser than she gives herself credit. During a pause in conversation, she said “You know it’s like the movie Evan Almighty, Becky, ‘when someone prays for patience, does God give him patience or the opportunity to be patient? When someone prays for courage does God give him courage or the opportunity be courageous?...’ You’re praying for grace; is God giving you grace, or the opportunity to show it?” Wow. She was so right on many levels.

I began thinking about what the Bible says about being created in His image. We have what we need already. I have grace. I needed to find it within. I am being given the opportunity to show it, and that is what building my character is. It’s not like praying and something magical happening and ‘ZAP’ I have a trait that I want. I already had it, I need to exercise it. Isn’t that how we make our muscles stronger? By exercise? How then do we make our faith, love, honesty, sincerity, selflessness, grace stronger? I’m sure, by exercising them. And if we look carefully, God gives us the opportunities to do this daily.

This may be all old news to you, or maybe you’ll kindly roll your eyes and move on. It was a wonderful, gentle reminder to me that we really have what we need. We just need to ask for God to show it to us again…. Maybe, if you’re like me, you forgot where you put it.

For those who have shown me grace when I least deserved it, I am humbled and eternally grateful.

Grace, such a beautiful word… such a beautiful verb.

Becky W.
January 21, 2012