Grace

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” - Anne Lamott

I am learning so much about God's grace in my life....it's so simple...always there...and yet, because of my own humanity and limited thinking, it still remains a mystery to me in some ways. What I am realizing more and more each year is that I need to analyze it less and simply accept it more. I can do nothing to earn it or deserve it...it's simply a beautiful gift that He freely gives. As the Chris Tomlin lyrics say:
"My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love, amazing grace"

I am set free...any chains that I have binding me now are of my own doing, and I am simply not realizing or maybe I'm resisting....but they (the chains) are GONE. And He has poured His unending love and AMAZING grace on me.

I remember as a child loving to play in the sprinkler....the giddy feeling I would get when the water just poured down on me. I want to stand in the waterfall of God's grace...and I want to have that childlike enthusiasm and joy as it pours over me.

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Wounded

I follow a blog called Journey Through Grace. Although I don't know Jayne, I am blessed by her pictures of her yard and the birds daily, and I enjoy her blogs. She has a quote on her page that has been there for some time, but really struck a chord deep within me today.

"It is said that grace enters the soul through a wound." Heather McDonald

I am a wounded person - as we all are. No one goes through life unscathed. Currently, old wounds have resurfaced, and there are plenty of new ones right now. There are some days when I feel that I'm bleeding out.

My prayer is that I will allow grace to enter my soul through my wound. I want fear, bitterness, and distrust to NOT seep in. In the midst of a painful year, I have felt God's grace more deeply than ever before. But I am feeling frightened and vulnerable right now. I don't any junk clogging up my emotions and my thoughts.

When others see me, I don't mind them seeing a woman who is a mess, yes, but more than that, I want them to see that I am living in grace. And that God's grace is good.

Warm Enough for the Hammock

We had a wonderful weekend weather-wise here, and it was a JOY to be able to run out into the backyard and settle into my favorite spot....the hammock.

The hammock where this summer I shed many tears, prayed many prayers, found healing, did some great soul searching, reading, talking to friends on the phone, and spent "girl time" with my daughters.

The backyard is far from pretty....no signs of green yet. But I did refill the bird feeders and found delight in all my feathered friends swooping in for a meal. Even though my grass is brown and my trees are bare, and the yard has that really depressing winter look to it....I found such joy and tranquility in my outdoor respite.

I didn't relax long in the hammock - Casie was home from college, Andy was around, and Lindsey had friends over all weekend...but I did manage to squeeze in a few minutes on both Saturday and Sunday. Enough for some wonderful time with God.....talking to Him, but mainly listening.

Maybe that is one reason I love the hammock so much. I seem to LISTEN better to the voice of God when I am in that spot. There are no distractions, and for some reason, my soul just seems to find rest quickly when I am there.

I am looking forward to more warm days and the upcoming spring. I am looking forward to my hammock time.