Tag: spirituality

Giving Grace

“I did it again!” I cried, as my mind started to spin in all directions. I had just indulged in that bad habit I was struggling with. Instead of talking to God and receiving His forgiveness, I fell into a pit of despair.

I admit, I struggle with believing that God has given me grace. When I fall short for the umpteenth time during the day, I feel like I should be punished. I feel like something bad will happen to me. And I feel like I just don’t deserve the love that God offers. Maybe you have felt the same way.

But what about giving grace? What about sharing that grace – which we can so easily receive from the Father – with others who hurt us in some way?

I struggle with this, as well. And sometimes, it’s not even when someone does something horrible to me (which is extremely difficult). Sometimes it can just be dealing with the imperfections of everyday life.

For example…have you ever gotten upset when someone cuts you off on the road? I have. What about when they pass you in a no-pass zone, or drive 25 MPH in a 45…or 45 in a 25, for that matter? What about when they ride your bumper so close that you’re afraid to make any sudden stops or turns? Yep. Bothers me too. And this is one area where God is showing me that I need to give grace.

Is it right? Do they deserve the grace? No. But the thing is, grace isn’t about getting what we deserve. If we got what we deserve…we’d all be separated from God. But He gives us grace! And we need to be willing to share that grace with those around us.

Another area where I struggle to give grace is when I’m on the phone. You know what calls I’m talking about, don’t you? The calls that you have to make about a bill that is incorrect, or to your insurance company, or something of that nature. You make the call, wait on hold for way too long, and then are connected to a representative who is not able to assist you with your problem? Yeah…I struggle with those calls.

But the representatives I’m talking about are people, too. They make mistakes like all of us do. So what would it take to show a little grace? It would probably help them a lot…and it might even help us to feel better about the frustrating situation.

So the next time you are struggling with impatience…the next time you are annoyed or offended by someone…and the next time time things don’t work out quite the way you want – remember, God has given us grace. And we need to be willing to give that grace to others! ❤

 

 

Thankful Thursday (episode 4)

I didn’t do very well with keeping my gratitude list this week. Maybe this is the reason that I have been feeling so down…? And while I could beat myself up and focus on my shortcoming (and this would be my tendency), I’m going to choose to be grateful for God’s amazing grace and understanding. He knows that I struggled this week, but He loves me the same. And a new week is ahead of me – a new chance to focus on things to be thankful for. 🙂

Here are just a few things that I recorded, for which I am grateful:

  1. Getting me through work even though I was really tired. God did that just about every day this week – for some reason the sleep I got and the coffee I drank were not enough…but God helped me.
  2. That our dog, Daisy, is okay. She has had an upset stomach, so we took her to the vet. They gave us some medicine for her and told us to put her on a bland diet for a week or so. But they couldn’t find anything major wrong with her during her examination. We’re praying she feels better soon!
  3. The opportunity to write. I am SO blessed to be able to share my heart and to know that there are people out there who read and understand…and care.
  4. Safety. I take it for granted so often. Every time I get in the car and drive somewhere, there is the possibility of an accident. But God has chosen to keep me safe, and I praise Him.
  5. That nothing terribly bad happened this week. Okay, so maybe I didn’t do a good job at keeping my gratitude list…but one thing I can be grateful for is that God didn’t allow anything horrible to happen over the past few days. Now if it did, He would still be God and He would still be good – and I would have to respond in a way that pleases Him. But He was gracious and gave us a fairly good week, and for this I am thankful.

That’s it for this week! Thanks so much for reading, and I would appreciate prayers for increased consistency in recording the many blessings He sends, as well as keeping a positive perspective. ❤

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Photos by: Crystal Knauss

From Despair to Hope

Today I was feeling low again. I trudged my way through work in the morning, and then tried to be happy that I had the rest of the day to accomplish some tasks and do something that I enjoy. But even that wasn’t helping me feel any better.

So what do you do when you can’t seem to get out of that “pit” of despair?

Well, what I tried to do was to get out of the house. I had already taken my dog for a walk, so I had gotten some fresh air. But this just wasn’t enough. I felt like I needed to jump in my car and go somewhere new.

So I drove to a Starbucks that I’ve never visited before, and I brought a new book that I purchased recently. I ordered an Iced Cinnamon Almond milk Macchiato and slid into a comfy leather chair. I opened the devotional book, “All Things New” by Cherie Hill, to today’s date…and was blessed to find that the topic aligned with how I was feeling. I love when God does that!

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The title for today’s devotional was “Defeated and Powerless” – and that’s how I felt. But after reading the text and looking up some of the Scripture verses, I began to feel a little better. These are some of the things that I wrote in the journal section that accompanies the text:

  • I am surrounded with God’s shield of love – He protects me from any situation or experience that He hasn’t ordained for me! Therefore I can know that everything that happens to me is for my good…and His glory (Psalm 5).
  • Paul said He came to the Corinthians in weakness – timid and trembling…(1 Cor. 2:3) I need to bring my weakness to God and He will turn it into something great.
  • His grace is all we need! His power works best in weakness (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

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I can’t say that I felt completely better after my little outing, but it did reset my focus some – and that always helps. I was encouraged by God through His Word that even though I felt weak and defeated, I can find strength and hope in His presence. ❤

What do YOU do when you’re feeling low? Is there something you’ve found that works to help you climb out of the “pit” of despair?

Featured Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel

Other Photos: Crystal Knauss