Grace - Love’s Companion

A few months ago I was speaking with a friend about some of the dynamics in our home.  She said, “Lisa, love is not enough.  In this situation, you need GRACE”.  At first that struck me funny.  Love is not enough?  It seems like enough, right?  LOVE is a HUGE thing… a BIG PART of the puzzle.  1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is not selfish, bears all things, hopes all things, and never fails.  It sounds like love should be enough.  However, as I evaluated the struggles I was having with my emotions, I realized her statement was true.  Without grace FROM GOD, FOR OTHERS, I could not have a successful home and move forward in what God was calling me to do.  It is the grace of God, the grace of life, that strengthens us and sweetens us to BE ABLE to love. 

Shortly after that conversation with my friend, I found a similar thought on OwlHaven’s blog.  (It it is very beneficial to read her post in its entirety).  http://www.owlhaven.net/2010/03/16/of-ballrooms-and-kitchens-and-letting-it-begin-with-me/  She reiterated basically the same thing…

But if I can model grace, if I can strive to not take offense, I can be a part of the best kind of chain reaction there is, where one kind act leads to another.  Where love and grace are spread by people conscious they’re being loved better than they deserve.  It’s a hard, hard thing to do.  One that can only be done imperfectly, and only by God’s power.  But, oh, how I want that atmosphere to permeate my family.

In our homes and lives we need grace.  We need grace to:

*Accept God’s new mercies each day and forget the past.

*Forgive our brothers “seventy times seven” when they wound us or disappoint us repeatedly.

*Love those whom are hard to love.

*Be SLOW to anger.

*Live with joy and peace through difficult situations.

*Put aside our OWN needs, even when we feel empty and needy, and strive to SERVE others.

*Allow sweetness and kindness to permeate our beings and flow from us.

I am seeking God for more of His grace.  I wish you the same!