Grace Rains Down

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’"  (2 Corinthians 12:9)It's all grace. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize that it's all by God's grace. I've tried to read a number of books on grace since so many great authors have been writing on it, but I never seem to get through them. Basically, God has just been teaching me about His grace through the day-to-day living of life.Travel. One great evidence of God's grace in my life has been a different attitude toward travel. In years past, I hated flying because I got airsick, I don't like turbulence and I don't like heights. So every time I got on a plane, it was an act of obedience, and I was never very comfortable. But in recent years, God has really changed that for me. I still don't like the airports, cramped seating, waiting in lines and half undressing at security, but I don't mind flying. It is God's grace. Energy. My schedule for the past year has been exhausting, and I have found that I have been really weary.  The best part of my job is the people, but being with lots of different people all the time is also exhausting to me. And yet God has sustained me. It's His grace. My family. I thought empty nest might mean less hecticness.  But between trying to help Debbie during Nick’s illness, and the joy and exhaustion of playing with three little boys, and Michelle and Brad moving to Colorado, and Josh and Brandon moving in with us, I am still having to release them to God more than ever.  I assure you, this is grace. Change. Our ministry has been pursuing significant change for several years, which is culminating in major transitions worldwide this year.  The impact on me is less than on many, but still I have been in the midst of it, spending lots of hours with some of those more dramatically affected by the change.  God is giving grace.Adequacy for this privilege and responsibility. I spend a lot of time speaking, writing, attending meetings, giving direction, counseling, answering questions--and God keeps being there.   I know I am inadequate and unworthy, and sometimes I marvel at the wisdom He gives me in situations. It is truly God's grace. I am sure that the experience of God's grace that I've had has been to some degree in proportion to the prayers of people, and I am so grateful for that. But I believe it is also because God has been enabling me to grow in my willingness and ability to relax in His arms, so that He can pour out His grace on me, and in me, and – I trust – through me to others. May His grace rain down on you today.c Judy Douglass