The Beginning of Grace and Strong Coffee
God's free grace is something that can be difficult to understand. If you are joining me today you might be thinking this yourself and wondering what it is really all about and what on Earth does strong coffee have to do with any of it.
My mom drank coffee, a lot of coffee. It was always available, always free and , always fresh. She passed on that love of coffee to me and it is a staple that I cannot live without. As I write this line, though, it is not lost on me that the free grace of the one and only amazing God is really the staple I cannot live without. And just like my mom's coffee, it is always available, always free and always fresh and new.
To be able to live in this world without coffee is unthinkable to me. But to live without God and his amazing grace is something I cannot imagine and will not ever entertain. As much as I love coffee, I truly love the Grace of God more than anything I could hold in a cup, bag, suitcase, storage pod. He is my True Life Giving Blood. He has taken me through long days of work, sickness, and worrying. He fuels my wounded heart and soul. He is warmth, refreshment, peace, and goodness. I would not be where I am today without the free grace of a Father that cannot get enough of this simple girl from Nevada. My life is not anywhere near where I ever thought it would be, solely because I have been given grace from a God that believes I am more precious than rubies or diamonds. (Prov. 3:15)
A theological definition of grace is the spontaneous unmerited favor of God. Spontaneous, uninhibited, without external cause. Unmerited, meaning not deserved. Favor meaning that God is for us and not against us. It means He is on our side and desires good for us, not evil. He does not desire to throw down law at us and expect us to do everything right, to never fail, be disappointed, to be wrong. Therefore, when these things happen, when we fail, have been disappointed, do wrong and are wronged, God is there, lifting us up. Bringing people into our lives at unexpected times. This is when the friend we really need sends a text letting us know she is thinking about us, at exactly the right time. This is when you open your Bible and Jesus’ glorious words written in red, say the exact thing you need to hear. When you open your mailbox and there is a refund check for the exact amount of the power bill you are overdue in paying. This is when your tears are falling and you feel a warm peace come over you letting you know that things will be alright. You feel the quiet of the morning as the snow falls silently outside your window and know that your child will be safe on his drive home from college. When you should have lost your job because of a mistake you made, but your boss agrees to let you fix the mistake instead. When your husband holds you after the doctor has confirmed the cancer diagnosis and you are not afraid and know the outcome will be positive. This is Grace.
This blog will continue the dialog about God's free grace and the change that can be made to your life when you learn to lean on this understanding. I hope that you will join me on a weekly basis in this journey of understanding God's grace and the life you can have. Let's communicate and share about His grace. Let's spend our days looking for and listening to the Holy Spirit around us that will show us this amazing free gift.
My desire is for you to live a life full of the amazing love of a God who will never let you down in the moments when you need him most. My desire is to help you recognize where God is working in your life and to help you walk through struggles, celebrations, and worries with Him by your side.
So, grab a cup of coffee and join me here weekly as we discover what God wants us to know and the life he wants us to enjoy.