Why Grace?

So I've been tossing around the idea of doing a blog for a while. In my typical approach to a new project, I began the research process by ordering a few books on the topic.  I ended up with 2 great books - Blogging for Dummies by Gardner & Birley and the beautiful Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey.

But how to choose a title for my blog? It needs to be catchy, and it needs to say what the blog is about. Reading my new books and talking to a few bloggers I knew left me feeling a little overwhelmed and I stalled there for several months. I considered doing a joint blog with my dear hubby Ryan, who is an insurance guy by profession but has a passion for photography. I thought of "Love in Black & White" which could be a play on words about photography or our interracial marriage, but that wasn't really what I wanted to blog about. Yes, we are different races and have gorgeous brown children, but how much can you really blog about that?  What I really wanted to talk about was the beauty in the every day, the healing power of  connection, and the ways God moves in our lives when we pay attention. Somehow I kept coming back to grace. Why grace? Maybe because my 44 year old brain is more unreliable than ever.  Maybe because as a working mother of two kids I never even come close to crossing everything off my To-do list each day. Maybe because the older I get the more I believe that we're all doing the best we can. 

According to the NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible: "grace is defined as good will, loving-kindness, or mercy. Grace has come to signify the kindness of God to humans. In addition the word grace is also used to express the concept of kindness given to someone who doesn't deserve it. Grace, therefore, is that unmerited favor of God toward God's children." I recently heard a U2 song called "Grace." The lyric that stood out for me was "grace makes beauty out of ugly things."

How thankful I am to be the recipient of God's grace over and over again. When I am absent-minded and wrapped up in my own busy life, God is right there waiting for me - not with a frown of disappointment, but with joy, delight and open arms. When I seek forgiveness from my husband, my child or my friend and they offer it, I am blessed. In response, when my first reaction to a harsh word is to give that person the benefit of the doubt, considering what they might be feeling, that is a response of grace. When I choose to keep my mouth shut, rather than chew out my 12 year old all the way to school, that is miraculous grace! When I'm having a bad-mom day and a friend sends me a text telling me about a sweet thing my child did for her, that is grace. Maybe I'm preoccupied with grace because some days it feels like it's the only thing keeping me going. Or maybe it's not about practicing what I preach, but preaching what I need to practice. Always...Grace.