Praise be to God! Praise be to He who was, is, and is to come! Praise Him who is the great I AM. Praise Him the Creator and designer of us all. Praise Him who is all knowing, all merciful, all loving, perfect justice, Wonderful, Counselor, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Thank You, God, for all thy benefits. Thank You for EVERYTHING – the moments of joy and sadness, the many blessings and trials, the seasons of life. Thank You for providing us with spiritual and physical nourishment, shelter, and all our daily needs.
Forgive us, Lord, for our short sightedness and forgetfulness, our lack of trust and surrender. Forgive us for our self-centeredness and compulsion to control beyond what You have allowed. Forgive us, God, for not taking every opportunity to be filled with abundant grace.
I can be such a slow learner! I have only recently had an “aha” moment that I find myself relying on fairly frequently as of late. It is as if I have known this for so long, but God is having me use it in a renewed way as I grow older. It is simple, not easy, and will benefit EVERYONE in life, no matter age or circumstance. STAY IN A STATE OF GRACE!
Duh! Right?! I mean, really, have I not known this since, well, always. But, one of the amazing benefits of aging is that we have experienced things and have been through seasons of life, and we can draw upon those experiences and seasons and notice common threads through them all. It feels like recently, I have realized that no matter what circumstance I have experienced, when I was in a state of grace, I had all the tools I needed.
Is everything going well? Stay in a state of grace, and you will have all you need to praise and thank God and overcome any pride. Need to make a tough decision? Stay in a state of grace, and be amazed at how God will lead you. Have some unexpected home repairs arise? Stay in a state of grace, and experience the amazing ways God will lead you to handle them – wisdom, prudence, patience, unexpected blessings, willingness to sacrifice the inconvenience as a type of prayer or offering for a special intention. Heartbroken? Stay in a state of grace, and allow Him to be your shelter and refuge. Overwhelmed by all your responsibilities? Stay in a state of grace, and be amazed at how the “next right step” will become clear. Tired of being “in a rut” and feel you need a change? Stay in a state of grace and be renewed, strengthened, and inspired to make whatever changes God wants for you.
Do you see the common thread? Through it all, staying in a state of grace seems to be the key that unlocks an ability to do what needs to be done. Is staying in the state of grace the solution to all issues? No, it is not, but with it, I have all the tools I need. Is staying in the state of grace an excuse to not do what God needs me to do? No, it is not, but with it, I have all I need to do my part.
I bet we all have someone in our lives, like a mentor or parent or grandparent or Godparent, who understands this and tries their best to remind us of it, and if we do not, we can be that person for others. No matter your role, your age, your season of life, stay in a state of grace, and advise everyone God places in your life to do the same!
