Gratitude is a doorway to Grace. Gratitude takes me from being closed to being open, and opening up leads me to see just how blessed I am and how much I have been given so that I can be a blessing to others.
Gratitude leads me away from resentment, arrogance and judgment into a place of forgiveness, acceptance and tenderness. The attitude I must have is one of gratitude for in every circumstance, every encounter, and every person is an opportunity for me to see God and to share God. Every opposition, taken with gratitude, becomes an opportunity to meet God and give his love away.
Grace is a moment when we learn this truth: anyone can be used by God as a messenger. Anyone. It is not my place to judge the ‘quality’ of the messenger; it is my place only to listen, discern, and receive the grace given through the message.
I am learning the people God has placed around me do not need me to correct or validate their feelings; they need me to love, listen and accept them.
More and more each day, I am learning that God’s grace is like an ever-flowing river and all I need do is come to that river and drink to my fill. I am also learning that this Truth is true for everyone else as well: God’s grace is always available. I cannot block, dam or clog up this river nor can I drink it for them. They must drink from the River themselves and I must never block passage to this ever-flowing river.
And my final thoughts on grace may be the most important: grace is God’s complete and total love and acceptance of us as we are NOW, the whole kit and caboodle, and not at some distant point in the future when we “arrive” or get clean, or go to heaven or have good doctrine or believe all the doctrine and dogma stuff. Grace is almost always a NOW thing!
Grace is a movement of God whereby the stains of the past and the fears of the future are removed and we are wrapped in an ever-expanding loving embrace right now.
So remember this as we close out one year and step across into another…Blessings and Grace to you all.
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