Grow in Grace

 It has been a wonderful week to reflect on my continual need for grace. Translated, that means that it was a rough week.  It has been a perfect reminder that I am a broken human being who struggles with priorities, faith, patience, parenting, relationships, remembering to pray, and sleep deprivation.  That is a very insecure place to be. And yet, it is also a gift from life.  It is a gift from a loving Father in Heaven to remember how much I need Him.  It is an opportunity to grow more in His grace.

When I try to do it on my own I fail, or at least I slip into survival mode and just barely get by.  I know because I chose that at times this week.  1 Corinthians 10:13 teaches us that "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."  It doesn't mean that life won't give us more than we can take.  It means that life won't give us more than we can take if we let Him be our escape, our help, our safe place, our Redeemer.  The alternative to failure and even to survival mode is to turn to Him and ask for help again, and again, and again, and again.  His grace helps me be patient when I don't feel like it.  His grace helps me laugh when I want to cry (or maybe even scream).  His grace helps me get up and be a grown up when it has been a very restless night.  I had moments this week of trying to do it on my own, and I had moments of remembering to ask for His help.  The second kind of moments are certainly better!  I wish I always remembered to slow down and ask for help and invite God into my day.  But, the great blessing of life is that I will get another chance to try. :-)  His grace works.  It is another precious manifestation of His great love for each of us!