God saved you by his grace when you believed.
And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)
I love gifts–birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s, anniversary. The older I get the more likely all I need is a card but the remembrance of a special day by someone I love means so much to me.
This has been a good month. New granddaughter, Eleanor, arrived on her own timetable after many long hours of labor but happy and healthy. I look forward to holding her in a few weeks, however, I did chat with her on the computer. I want her to know her nana’s voice. It must be soothing since she slept the whole time.
Another gift was a week in Sedona with long time friends celebrating their 50th anniversary. Visiting the majestic Grand Canyon, lunch along the creek, a movie in the middle of a rainy afternoon — the few days of rest, relaxation, and companionship with special friends brought joy to my heart.
But the month isn’t over. I spent this past weekend attending our church’s Women’s Retreat entitled “Come As You Are”. Today’s verse was key for all of our time together. This was my first time with all of these ladies and I went with a bit of reluctance since I knew so few people. But the whole reason to go was to become acquainted and that is exactly what happened.
The main theme of our time together centered on God’s grace. One of the speakers defined grace as a deliberate decision to give something to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Isn’t that what God does for each of us?
Sometimes, grace is messy and if we are a neat-and-tidy kind of person it can be disconcerting. Our imperfections get in the way and unlike our Heavenly Father, we have expectations. But He just loves us and gives us gifts of grace every day.
Take a few moments to thank Him for all of His gifts to you. And while you are reflecting, who needs your grace?
10/25/10