I Have God's Grace...

Dear Friend,

A few years ago, I was having a really rough day. I was rushed, I had somewhere to be. A few things that I was working on were not turning out right. I was distracted by a current relationship, can I just be really honest? And all of this was going on not to mention I had an event later that night. Sheesh!!!

I went to Walmart to pick something up and was backing my car out, and I will be honest my mind was on something else, on someone else and it wasn't on the goodness of Jesus. As I backed up, I couldn't hear my signal telling me I was coming to close to a car. I am sure it went off, but again I was preoccupied in my thoughts. I wound up backing up into someone's BRAND new truck. I got out immediately and the owner of the trucks wife was walking out and she didn't look happy. I gave them all my information and apologized, and I was overwhelmed, I will admit that I was. I just got back in my car and began to pray but I wasn't very kind to myself.

When I got back to the house, I was a little overwhelmed and my phone began to ring, I began to sigh, but I answered. I didn't want to hear "one more thing". It was the owner of the truck, and He began to talk to me and I could hear the compassion in his voice, "Mrs. Johnson, we don't have to file this on your insurance, I understand how mistakes happen?" Did I tell you that this was right before Christmas? He said, "If you promise to send me $150 I will fix this myself, will you do that?" I didn't know how to receive this at first, but I began to pray and thank God. He was so full of compassion and understanding, even though I was at fault.

Can I tell you that's what the Grace of God is like? It doesn't happen because we do all the things right, this happens because of God's love and mercy and kindness towards us. That's the kind of God we serve! I didn't have to work for this, man to have compassion on me. I didn't have to lie to get what I needed, it wasn't because I was perfect at all. It was because of Grace. Romans 5:2 says,

2 Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our [a]hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].

I "stand" in Grace because of God's love and compassion for me, and I have access to this because of Jesus Christ. Whew chile! I am sure we have all "backed" into something or even ran head on it to it. Just like the man that forgave me for His truck, God is willing to forgive us and restore us. Can you receive that for yourself today? I have God's grace and that's enough. I don't have to earn it, and it pardon's and forgives me. Friend, I am learning daily, how much God loves us!

Standing in His Grace,

LMJ