All is Grace

"One act of thanksgiving, when things go wrong with us, is worth a thousand thanks when things are agreeable to our inclinations." - Saint John of Avila

1 Peter 4:12 tells us not to be surprised at painful trials. James 1:2 says to consider it joy when we face trials. We live in a fallen world. Because sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, there is now pain, toil, disease, and death. No one is exempt from this, not even those who call Christ their Savior. But in the midst of our difficulties and sufferings, there is grace and we can still practice the counting of blessings. I have now trained my mind to see that "it could always be worse" and we have something for which to be thankful.

Ann Voskamp writes, "joy and pain, they are but two arteries of one heart that pumps through all those who don't numb themselves to really living. . . life is loss. . . I am guaranteed to lose every earthly thing I have ever possessed." (p. 84) And while we may wonder just what moments can be counted as grace, as gifts; Ann answers with "every moment is a message from the Word - God who can't stop writing His heart." (p. 86) The Word of God is God's heart message to us. It reminds us that He too felt deep pain and suffering as He faced the burden of man's sin on His shoulders and the pain of death on the cross. He knows and understands what we are feeling.

God is in control; He plans everything. Isaiah 14:24 says, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good. Deuteronomy 32:39 reads, "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides Me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand."

So how do we keep our eyes seeing the gifts? Our perspective determines what we see. We must keep our eyes filled with the light of God's Word. "Without God's Word as a lens, the world warps." (p. 91) Ephesians 5:20 reminds us that we are to give thanks for everything. "When I realize that it is not God who is in my debt but I who am in His great debt, then doesn't all become gift?" (p. 94) Ann reminds us that "life comes out of the dark places. . . Darkness transfigures into light, bad transfigures into good, grief transfigures into grace, empty transfigures into full. God wastes nothing - 'makes everything work out according to his plan' (Ephesians 1:11)." (pp. 94, 95)

"All is grace. . . God is always good and I am always loved." (p. 100)

51. Cool, smooth sheets on a hot night

52. School day with good attitudes

53. Fun time with my kids at Disneyland

54. A joke on Mom - kids put a sticker on my forehead when I fell asleep on the couch.

55. Enjoyable morning - favorite bagel & ice tea at Panera & time to work on Bible study

56. A zebra in the city! Kids enjoyed a close up of a zebra at the stables next to their Friday school location

57. Pizza/movie night with the family

58. Sleeping in late on a Saturday

59. The energy and sense of accomplishment I feel from exercising

60. Jungle Jack Hanna! A real treat to see his show & meet him; thanks to my hubby’s mom

61. Family - time with my MIL, kids enjoying their cousins; visit with my bro & his family as well as my parents all in one day

62. Dad getting around better and better

63. Sunday morning cinnamon rolls

64. Crafts approved for VBS!

65. The great memories from looking through old pictures

66. Cooking dinner with my hubby

67. Working outside. . . Enjoying the sun and fresh air; the way things look when you’re done; cooling down with freshly brewed ice tea

68. A special snack and a movie with my kiddos

69. First meal on the patio

70. Discovering the location of our mockingbirds’ nest and seeing the hungry babies

71. Quiet time with my hubby in the evening to watch old TV shows, talk & relax

72. My soft bed on sore muscles after a hard day’s work

73. Fun afternoon with my kiddos at Disneyland exploring Adventureland and Tom Sawyer’s Island.

74. Chance to visit Dad’s school to see his big event.

75. Field trip!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Benefits of Being a Child of God

Image
In her book "Breaking Free", Beth Moore writes about five benefits God intends "to be the daily experience of every child of God." (p. 23) The first benefit is to know God and believe Him . Beth Moore writes that "one of your chief purposes on this planet is to know God intimately and with reverent familiarity. That intimate relationship begins, but was never intended to end, with what we call the 'salvation experience.' So the first question to ask yourself is, Have you received Christ as your personal Savior?" "One of the most beautiful elements of salvation is its simplicity. Christ has already done all the work on the cross. Your response includes four elements: 1) Acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself. 2) Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and only He can save you. 3) Believe that His Crucifixion was for your personal sins and that His death was on your behalf. 4) Give Him your life and
Read more

Fuel Up with the Holy Spirit

Image
 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26 Once we decide to get on the road with Jesus, we discover that the Bible is like a road map for our journey; helping us to live in a way that pleases God. If we spend time in the Word everyday, we will grow to be more like Jesus. A car needs gasoline in order to work. In order for you to keep going, you have to fill the tank up. Well, just like our physical bodies need food for energy, and cars need gasoline in order to go, our spiritual bodies need a kind of fuel too. This "fuel" is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and energy for life. We know that God created us. We know that Jesus saved us. But you might wonder who the Holy Spirit is. In John 14:16-17 we see that before Jesus was going to die on the cross, He told the disciples that God would send another Helper to help them. This w
Read more

A Clamorous Woman

Image
Photo Credit A foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knows nothing. For she sits at the door of her house. . . To call to those who pass by. . . "Whoever is simple, let him turn it here"; And as for him who lacks understanding, She says to him, "Stolen water is sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant." But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of hell. -Proverbs 9:13-18 (NKJV) A foolish woman is clamorous. To be clamorous is to murmur, growl, roar, rage, to be troubled, in an uproar, in a stir, a commotion, boisterous, turbulent, raging. Here is a big clue for us. Every one of these definitions describes anything but a meek and quiet spirit. Usually if we women make an uproar on the outside, it's because there's an uproar on the inside. A clamorous woman lures other people into her whirlpool - or maybe a better word is cesspool. I know that the first level of application of
Read more