The Gift of Grace

Emotions were raw at my household this morning! Both Kevin and I were due at my work for wellness screenings. This was a good thing. However having to get myself up and around (without being able to have my morning coffee) was difficult. I NEED my coffee! Then having to wake him and have him get around without his coffee too was about more than I could bear! I could feel my blood pressure rising as we were getting ready to leave. How could this be? I couldn't have my BP rising NOW! As I was driving ahead of him in my car I thought he would call my cell so we could talk on the way. After all, we aren't up at the same time in the mornings so this was special. I waited and waited he didn't call! Why not?! So at the 4 way stop at Garrett I looked at my phone. IT WAS TURNED OFF! Crap! I turned it on and sure enough he had tried calling twice and texted me once! Oh did I feel bad! I called him right away and we had a very nice conversation the rest of the way to work.

I kept asking myself how could it be that I just worked in the Unglued workbook the night before and struggled the very next morning with keeping from coming unglued!

By the time we arrived I was able to decide to be on God's side and ask Kevin for forgiveness for my words spoken earlier. Yes, guilt is a gift. I agree, Kasie! From the guilt came corrective action - namely asking for forgiveness from him and also forgiving myself. My BP registered a healthy 110/68 and the rest of the day held tender texts between he and I. By God's grace through guilt came restoration.

I'm finding when I'm in the tense moments is when I need to take the focus off myself and put the focus on God. I have to remember he extended grace to me when I didn't deserve it. I have to remember to extend grace to others and myself. The more I focus on God the more stable I become. I calm down. My perspective becomes clear. When I give God the raw emotion not only does he hold me still physically, he also holds my lips still. I am realizing that change in my life is happening as a result of being grateful to God for extending his grace to me. He is my focus and my challenge is to keep him my focus.

My daughter has surprised me so very much in the last year and a half! God has richly blessed me through her. I have prayed for her earnestly this past year. She is growing in the faith. She is growing as a mother. I am so proud of her! I thank God for her and am so pleased we are on this journey together.

I hear this on the radio the other day:

Prayer is us talking to God. Reading the Bible is God talking to us.

May we all have good conversation with Him as we study His word!