Originally, when I came up with the idea and title for this article, I wanted to convey the message that God’s grace is evident even in the boring and tedious elements of life that we sometimes approach with insufferable ennui. Ever the philomath, I decided to research the definition of “grace” to make sure that it was the exact word I was looking for. It turns out that “grace” has more than one definition. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to consider 3 of them: 1. favor or goodwill; 2. a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior; 3. mercy; clemency; pardon. I want to issue a CHALLENGE to YOU to notice and be thankful for God’s grace in the humdrum and chaos of life. Recognize God’s blessings in the midst of your peaceful times and your restless times. Below is a concise (not comprehensive of course!) list I have compiled of some instances in which God has been gracious to me in my times of distress.
God’s Grace in the Mess:
1. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease:
One of the latest incidents in which God’s mercy was evident in my life was during the past few weeks! My daughter somehow caught this virus (click here if you need a brief description of this common childhood ailment) recently. Her bout of fever was less than 12 hours long, the sores and blisters on her body were minimal and not painful (as evidenced by the fact that I did not have to give her any pain medicine), she STILL slept through the night, and my husband and I did not catch this extremely contagious disease. Since I had to keep her quarantined during the contagion period, it was also really nice that the weather was gorgeous and we were able to stroll the neighborhood, albeit it 3 times a day! Every single day during these past 2 weeks, I have been astounded by God’s grace.
2. Mother’s Day:
Although my daughter and I are still not venturing out of the house (meaning no church on Mother’s Day), and my husband is gone for work, after two really arduous weeks, she is feeling better and continues to improve! I could have thrown myself a pity party for having to spend Mother’s Day virtually alone, but instead, I chose to rejoice in mine and my daughter’s health! Thank you, God, for your grace!
3. Fender Bender:
About 2 weeks before the previous incident, my husband was rear-ended on his way home after being gone for a week. My husband was unscathed. Obviously, having to get the truck fixed is a nuisance, but all of the work needed is purely cosmetic. And did I mention that my husband was unharmed?!? Thank you, God, for your grace!
4. Acute Myeloid Leukemia:
In January, my stepmom was diagnosed with this condition. After 2 rounds of chemotherapy, she and my dad decided to travel from North Carolina to Texas to M.D. Anderson for a second opinion on her treatment options. Passing through Louisiana, their plan was to stop and see family along the way, including my daughter, their precious granddaughter. A few days before we were scheduled to see them in March, my baby girl had a low grade fever. I was really concerned because being that my stepmom’s immune system was compromised, I knew we wouldn’t be able to see her if Cadence was coming down with a bug. Well, by the grace and mercy of God, it was just the impending eruption of her canine teeth that caused this mild jump in her temperature. Come to think of it, every time my dad and stepmom have come through town the last several months, Cadence has been 100 % well. I do my best to make sure she stays healthy, but ultimately, I believe that God’s favour has a huge hand (get it?!?) in this. Thank you, God, for your grace!
5. Baby on Board:
When my daughter was about 6 months old, I locked her in the car…for 25 minutes! Although it was a tense and potentially dangerous situation, I will concede that the temperature outside was not sweltering, thank God! I had just nursed her in the backseat of my car, so the air conditioner and her favorite music CD were on as well. Additionally, my dad was in town visiting so he was there to contact AAA. My daughter was calm for the first 10-15 minutes but began to cry eventually. By the grace of God, a “random” cop was driving by and had the equipment needed to pry my front door open! We didn’t even have to wait for AAA to show up! Certainly, as a new mom, I thought this would never happen to me, but at least it was a much better scenario than it could have been! Thank you, God, for your grace!
Tell me about a time when God’s grace knocked your socks off!
Lauren
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