Grace

Today I am thankful for . . .

1098.  The gift of A "Do-Nothing" Day.  I read books, did puzzles, played games, ate and watched a movie with my family.  For me, this is "doing nothing".  It was wonderful.

1099.  The gift of Discovering that the battery on my vehicle was dead on a day that we didn't really need the vehicle for anything.  I decided to head into town to pick up our mail, which I hadn't done for almost a week, and when I went to start the vehicle it was completely dead.  We've had severely cold weather here the last week, and I hadn't driven my vehicle since Christmas Eve, so I'm not sure what drained the battery, but it was powerless.  Wayne worked on it and got my vehicle running, and I'm hoping and praying that it's only a one-time thing and not something that will happen daily:(

1100.  The gift of God's Grace.  Yesterday I finished reading a book called Grace, by Max Lucado.  This book was a necessary read for me, because prior to reading it, I didn't really fully understand the true meaning and magnitude of God's grace in my life and in the lives of others.  One of my goals in 2013 is to live a life that is filled with more grace.  I believe that part of my journey this year in the area of thanksgiving has led me to the next step in what may be considered a process of refinement and growth, which I am going to call a mentality of "Grace Lives Here."  I want a graceful spirit to live in me and through me so that God is glorified and honoured in my life.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from Max Lucado's book:

"More verb than noun, more present tense than past tense, grace didn't just happen; it happens."

"Trust God's hold on you more than your hold on God."

"Grace is simply another word for God's tumbling, rumbling reservoir of strength and protection.  It comes at us no occasionally or miserly but constantly and aggressively , wave upon wave."

"Grace.  Let it, let him, so seep into the crusty cracks of your life that everything softens.  Then let it, let him, bubble to the surface, like a spring in the Sahara, in words of kindness and deeds of generosity.  God will change you, my friend.  You are a trophy of his kindness, a partaker of his mission.  Not perfect by any means but closer to perfection than you've ever been.  Steadily stronger, gradually better, certainly closer.  This happens when grace happens.  May it happen to you."