Grace for All

What is grace?

• a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior: It was only through the dean's grace that I wasn't expelled from school. Synonyms: forgiveness, charity, mercifulness. Antonyms: animosity, enmity, disfavor.

• mercy; clemency; pardon: He was saved by an act of grace from the governor. Synonyms: lenity, leniency, reprieve. Antonyms: harshness. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grace?s=t G 

Grace is mercy, pardon, forgiveness.  When you are given grace, you are granted something good (forgiveness and absolution) instead of something bad when you really  deserve it (punishment, consequences).

Ephesians 1:3-10

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

We, as the children of God, do not deserve His grace or forgiveness.  But God, being the all-powerful, loving God that He is, chose to give it to us before we were born, before our parents or grandparents were born, and before the world itself was "born" and created.  God isn't like we are--He gave us His grace freely, without any good or love on our part, with no strings attached, and despite our countless sins against Him.

The thought that someone would not only forgive but also give full grace and mercy to one who killed His son, disobeys and dishonors Him constantly, to one who is an adulterer, a murderer, a liar, and a thief is mind-blowing, yet that is exactly what God has done for each and every one of His children.  We who daily commit the sins in Matthew 5:

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

 

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

We sin in our minds, with our bodies, and in our hearts, and yet God offers us grace.  How much more so should we, who deserve death, extend grace to others?
 

How can/do we show grace?  Again, from Matthew 5:

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 

⁴³  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This is so difficult to do.  When someone sins against us or hurts us, our first inclination is to hurt them back.  If someone gossips about us, we jump to say something nasty about them.  However, I am reminded of Matthew 18:

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 

As God has cancelled our debt, so we should forgive the sins of others. 

 

It is easier to do this when it is a friend or someone we love who says or does something that hurts us, but when it is someone whom we already dislike or try to avoid, it becomes more difficult.  Who really wants to be nice to someone who isn't nice to you?  Who really wants to forgive someone who is nasty and has hurt you?  I don't.  Not naturally.  It doesn't come easily most times.  Yet this is exactly what God has commanded for us to do.  Back to Matthew 5:

 

⁴³  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Anyone can be nice to those who are nice to them, any one can love those who love them, and anyone forgives those with whom they are close . . . but God calls Christians to love their enemies, to do good to them and not harm, to repay evil with good.  

Romans 12 says:

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is where being a Christian is hard.  We, in our sinful natures, do no naturally want to do this; furthermore, it is difficult enough with our regenerate hearts.  However, in following this command of God, we are not only obeying Him, but we are also shining out His love for the world to see.

 

 

It's Over Already?

Well, that was amazing.  In a week and a half, the Lord not only brought a family to buy our condo, but he brought the perfect people to buy it.  We are officially under contract. 

It sometimes seems easy to underestimate God, or at the very least to under expect from Him.  Why would God do ______ or orchestrate _________ perfectly?  He did.  In a way that continues to blow my mind, my Father guided the right buyers to us at the right time in the right way. 

That being said, we are now in the process of looking for a home quickly in a market where there are not very many homes for sale and even fewer that would suit our needs or budget.  Remembering how God worked to put our condo under contract in such a short amount of time, I am forcing myself to slow down and to have peace.  Why should I not also trust that He will guide us to the perfect house for us?  I have full confidence that He will and that we will be excited when we finally find "the one."  (Personally, I think that "saying yes to the dress" was a WHOLE lot easier and less stressful than finding a home for potentially the rest of our lives)

Yesterday I was struck with how much easier it was to house hunt with one baby instead of with a very active (and at times very cranky because she was exhausted) toddler and a rather needy infant.  Today I am recovering, which basically means that I am doing minimal work (just keeping things straight) and am in my most comfortable pair of pants and a cozy shirt.  Unfortunately, being out all day and later into the night did nothing for my kids--early to rise were they, and I have the headache to prove it.  It really is difficult when you realize that you want a bunch of kids but that you are not a morning person . . . and having a husband who IS a morning person almost guarantees that your children will be disgustingly cheerful, early-rising morning people.  I'm still not awake.  Fully.

Our Life: Photos

In the last few months, we have updated our house (new windows, appliances, light fixtures, paint, etc), had a baby, and put our house on the market, just to name a few things.  Things like all-nighters with a little one, packing up half our our belongings to go to storage, and taking care of two under two have kept me from blogging, but we'll see how life goes now that I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.

First things first:

Robin (like Robin Hood) is our latest addition.  Coming a week and a half early, he was born on January 2, and weighed 7 lb 6 oz (and now weighs at least 12). We love our little boy, and Natalie loves her new toy . . . baby. 

Natalie is growing like a weed, and her vocabulary almost exceeds my own.  Her favorite word by far is "Mommy," which I hear 95,000,000 a day, but "Daddy," "bears," "Nonni," and "milk," are close seconds.  Currently, her favorite songs are "ABC's" ("ABC's? Mommy, ABC's"), "Ba Ba" ("Mom, Ba Ba.  Ba Ba" [Ba Ba Black Sheep], and "Old MacDonald" ("EIEIO.  Moo moo here.  Moo moo there.")  Robin is her favorite thing in the whole world (after yelling for Mommy and playing "Night Night" in our bed). 

Finally, our condo.  Our big, wonderful, yet not so baby-friendly home.  We'll definitely miss this place, especially now that it looks so good.  In fact, I'm typing this from our once storage room now office.  Still, Natalie loves playing outside, and she can only yell "Birds!  Where are you?" from the balcony so many times before it gets . . . old.  What have we done with the place?  A lot.  Here are some highlights.  Know anyone who wants an 1800+ sq foot condo outside the city?

The Lord continues to be good to us, and we are exceedingly thankful for His hand of blessing in our lives.

It's Like . . . Christmas and a Baby--All Rolled Into One

Let me just say . . . I may just have a problem when Christmas is over.  I might, potentially, may be addicted to online shopping.  Why have I never online Christmas shopped before?  I mean, I've ordered an occasional gift or two, but whoah.  This year takes the cake.  Today is NOVEMBER 28 and most of my Christmas shopping is done.  Me.  The one who is out shopping like a maniac on Christmas Eve every year.  It's still November, for crying out loud.  In a way, I am beyond impressed with myself for having so much of it done so far.  Not only have I scored some pretty amazing deals, but I am also having fun *cough* opening every package that is delivered to my door.  It's like Christmas already, and the gifts aren't even for me!  It's thrilling!

Knowing that I will be 37 and a half weeks pregnant by Christmas, I think that my inner "preservation mode" has clicked on.  Anything that can be done now, I'm working on accomplishing.  If I have almost zero energy right now, I can be almost certain that I will have even less in just a few weeks.

Christmas aside, I am also finding that I am much more prepared for this little one than I was for Natalie.  I have my second freezer well-stocked with frozen meals that will end up being life-savers later down the road.  I don't think I even had frozen CHICKEN PATTIES when Natalie came.  This time, though, I have soups, chili, and all manner of yummy eats just waiting for the day when I am too tired to cook.

We're pushing along our "get the house ready to sell" to-do list, and I am pretty excited.  Our windows should be good as new in a few weeks, we'll put in a new stove, and I've procured the use of a carpet cleaner to make our two carpeted rooms look AMAZING.  After that, all we have to do is storage.  It's still a lot, and I will definitely need help with packing things, but we're getting CLOSER.  I can almost SMELL it.  Lord willing, I won't have to call Patrick with my "I loaded the groceries on the belt, separated the perishables from the non-perishables, had TWO FEET between the groups, BEGGED the cashier to please keep them separate when she bagged them because 'I live on a third floor condo and have to get my pregnant self, my 17 month old, and the groceries up the steps and I'd like to leave the non-refrigerated stuff in the car until I have the energy for another trip' and I STILL had to separate out my groceries in the FREEZING RAIN" rant (yes, this just happened again yesterday, and I was less than thrilled). 

People keep telling me, "Oh, you've got time left" regarding the length of time until the baby comes, but, thankfully, I have realized that I do NOT "have time."  Christmas is in a few weeks: cookies, shopping, parties, time with family . . . and then right after Christmas I will be 38 weeks.  38 WEEKS.  Natalie came at 39.  Soooo, I am learning to make the most of my time and to work hard now so that I'm not "killing" myself later.  My how time does fly.

Happy and Blessed

The last several months have flown by, probably due in part to my sister's wedding in October.  As tired as I am, especially as I anticipate the holidays, I sit here feeling quite satisfied with myself because I have gotten a LOT accomplished over the last few weeks.

Were you to have come over to my home three weeks ago and then to come again tonight, you would be totally shocked at the appearance.  I finally hired a painter to come and finish our main room as well as paint the bathroom.  After that, I found us some "new" (*cough* matching *cough*) furniture on Craigslist.  We had three different companies come to give us estimates on repairing our windows, and I researched new stoves to replace our ancient, half-functioning one.  On Saturday, Patrick and I (mostly Patrick) cleared the music room of a bunch of junk, rearranged it it so that it is "livable" again, and stacked all the boxes of packed items that need to go into storage.  Today, I vacuumed, mopped the parquet floors, and painted all of the electrical and light-switch covers that were still split-pea green, along with all the other regular day-to-day things that needed to be done.

Through all this, Natalie has become more and more vocal, active, and . . . destructive.  The child is BUSY.  What can I say.  Whether it's helping me empty the dishwasher by trying to put all the spoons in her mouth (don't worry, I rewash them when she gets them) or attempting to wash the floor with all of my clean dishrags or cooking with a measuring cup and a spoon that she's pulled out of my kitchen drawers (along with everything else), Natalie wants to be just like Mommy.  Which is great now, despite all of the extra work it makes, but I shudder to think of when we actually get this house on the market--which is now looking like it will be SOON!!!.  When she isn't taking things out and putting them down, she is running after me yelling "UP!", "COOKIE!" or "JUICE!", trying to ride on the vacuum cleaner while I use it because it makes her hair fly into her face, or she is begging to have a "bookie" read to her.  I have learned that the Sesame Street station on Pandora radio is my best friend because it keeps her dancing, excited, and happy while I sing along with it while I work.

Our lives are so full right now, but we are happy and blessed.  I still laugh when people intimate that I, as a stay-at-home mom, have a lot of free time . . . because I don't . . . and I'm often not home . . . and my schedule is pretty full most of the time.  However, I am so grateful that God has worked it so that I am able to stay "home" with my daughter.

This past week, I received an invite to join a "Professional Women" sort of association that promotes being the best you can be and helps women rise to the top.  It made me laugh because obviously this group has no idea who I am or what I do.  In the eyes of many, I am an unfulfilled woman who is wasting my talents and gifts by staying at home, taking care of my children, husband and home, etc.  However, I feel that I am "at the top" because there is no job that I would rather have and nowhere else that I would rather be.  Through my being at home, I have found ways to serve others that would otherwise be impossible.  I am able to minister to my family (both immediate and extended), my church, and my friends.  Why would I trade this for anything else?

Prayer=Love

Have you ever said the words "I will be praying for you" to someone and then felt like it was a shallow offer?  Something that anyone could do . . . and that you could be doing more?  I know I have.

However, I have recently come to the realization that those very words "I am praying for you" are actually a vast blessing.  Something so simple yet so wonderful.   When spoken in sincerity and love by one who loves God, the words are a promise to lift that other person before the throne of Almighty God, to pray for his or her comfort in a time of need or want.

I have had a few health issues in the last month, along with the stresses that come with a very busy schedule AND trying to get a home ready to sell, and I have had friends who, upon hearing these things, have promised to pray for me . . . and then who have followed-up with me to let me know that their prayers in my behalf are continuing.  Words cannot describe how uplifting this has been for me, and the knowledge that people care enough to pray for me and are actually doing it has been a balm for my soul.  To me, that is amazing love.

Nevermore be tempted to think that prayer is a paltry offering to one in need.  True, anyone can offer to pray, but who has ever complained of having too many people praying for them?  Continue to bless your friends by bringing them before the Throne of Grace.  It shows your love and lets the love of Christ shine through brightly.  

Today was the day was the day that our sweet little Anise Joy was due.  While I don't think that one ever quite gets over the loss of a child so dearly wanted, I know that God had other plans for us today.  Instead of giving birth to a child, we got to see another.  Rather than being 40 weeks pregnant, I am nearly 20.  Today, we found out that we are having a _________!!  I'll reveal that in another post on a later date . . . once we've spread the word a little more personally (which does not mean Facebook--I'm trying to see how long we can go without making this child "Facebook Official").

Our latest little one was rather camera shy, which ended up working to our advantage because, while the incredibly nice, super nerdy (she and the doctor were totally geeking out over brain shots---"Oh man!  What a beautiful corpus callosum.  So perfectly aligned!" giggle, giggle) tech  was trying to determine our little one's gender and to get a profile shot for us, we got tons and tons of photos--almost 10 in all.  Way more than we ever got with Natalie.  We got hands, legs, feet, and then finally a gender shot followed by several profiles of another thumb-sucking little one.  We were in there for about an hour and a half.  Healthy baby, so we're happy about that, and a few concerns about me, but other than that, everything looks great!

Little Tootsies

Look at them legs!

Little profile with a hand by the face

Another thumb sucking kid . . .