So Thankful for Grace (Stacy)

Sunday School at Centro Christiana Esperanza Viva

Yesterday we attended church here in San Jose, and at the request of our 12-yr-old, we sat in on the youth service instead of the adult service. I listened yesterday morning as a sweet young lady from the group spoke. I only understood about half of what was said (that might be generous), but the message to my heart was loud and clear...we live changed lives because of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us. Friends, seriously, I'm just so thankful for the grace of God.

When I decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ by accepting the sacrifice he made for my sins, I committed to living a life that was different in light of that sacrifice. Seemed reasonable - Jesus died to take the penalty for all the ugly things that I had done in my past, and I agreed to be an active participant, along with his Holy Spirit, as my heart and mind were changed to reflect Christ.  But that wasn't the end-all-to-be-all. This process keeps happening - over and over and over again.

I can get pretty content with myself, feeling as though I'm good enough, loving enough, kind enough, merciful enough, patient enough, joyful enough, gentle enough, peaceful enough, self-controlled enough. The truth is, it just isn't ever ENOUGH. And then there are times that it's really obvious that I've failed miserably.

Thank you, LORD, that there's GRACE!!

Where would I be without grace? Anxious about the fact that I will never live up to perfection. Always striving to please people instead of realizing my worth in the eyes of the Lord. Living a life of regret in lieu of seeking forgiveness and forgiving others while also seeing my rough patches as opportunities for better perspective.

I really can't imagine life without the grace of God.

I look at the faces of these kiddos that we're hoping to bring back to the States with us to welcome into our family, and I can't help but wonder what their futures hold. Each one of us has all kinds of life experiences that mold us into the human beings we are at any given moment in time. I'm praying really hard that by our words and our actions, these young ones get a glimpse of the love and grace the Lord has shown to us, and they crave more and more of it in their own lives. After all, "we are all broken people in need of healing, and He is putting us back together." (Shout out to our home church, County Line!! Watch CL's Welcome Video here.)





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