Grace For the Unexpected
(written in 2021)
I have started this blog a few times. Each time, I delete my failed attempt to express what is in my heart. As I write, I am sitting in an ICU room surrounded by the irregular rhythms of sounds of a hospital.
My mom has been in the hospital for a month now. She had COVID, which migrated to her lungs in the form of pneumonia. It has been a rough month of navigating through the ups and downs and everything that goes along with sickness.
On the flip side of the emotional lows has been God’s grace showing up every day in quiet whispers as to say, “I’m still here…Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
God’s grace and love never cease to amaze me. He never promised that life would be easy or comfortable. But He did promise that He would never leave us or forsake us. He is with us, guiding us THROUGH the tough times if we let Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Grace is a Like a Wild Card
I have said before that grace is like a wild card. It is there to help you in your weakness. Have you ever played cards and got a little excited when you drew a wild card? That card enables you to get back in the game and play when you couldn’t do it independently with what was dealt you.
Life is the same way. Because we live in this world, bad, ugly, unfortunate, and terrible things come our way. There is no rhyme or reason (like when you are being dealt cards in a game). However, God didn’t leave us hopeless – to just figure things out on our own. No, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us and, in return, give us the gift of grace for every bad situation we face.
When We are Weak He is Strong
When we are weak, He is strong. It doesn’t mean that He isn’t strong when things are going well. However, we may not tend to call on Him and look to Him as much in the good times – when we feel strong. We should always look to Him in the good times and the bad!
During the good times, we should be building our faith by reading the Word and listening to sermons. We should stay diligent over our lives at all times. Remember that in 1 Peter 5, it says that the devil roams around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he will devour. What type of person is he looking for? Someone with their guard down, someone who is relying on their own strength to get through. Someone who is putting their trust in their own abilities instead of putting their trust in God.
Proverbs 6:6-11 says this, “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise. Which having no captain, overseer, or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep – so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler and your need like an armed man.”
This scripture passage emphasizes the importance of doing what you can NOW to prepare for tomorrow. We have all been caught in the trap of coasting when life is good and searching God out in emergencies.
Don’t Wait!
I want to encourage all of us to be diligent today for tomorrow. My husband likes to say, “don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” That statement is true with many things, but especially when it comes to the things of God.
Maybe you have gotten away from going to church through the pandemic, and life has gotten in the way of going back. Perhaps you have let an offense of a fellow believer toward you keep you from getting closer to God. Maybe you have just been lulled to “spiritual sleep” because your life is pretty dang good right now.
Whatever the case, I want to encourage you today to dig deeper into your faith. Don’t let the devil catch you unprepared for an attack.
My family and I are in the middle of a fight. It has been hard to stay positive when the doctor’s reports are adverse. It has been hard to see the little victories in the day-to-day struggles. However, God’s grace has been my backup. He has been there to strengthen me when I feel weak. He has given me wisdom and knowledge of how to even pray. Just as importantly, I have felt the prayers of those who have been lifting my mom and our family up.
We aren’t meant to do this life alone - we need each other, but most of all, we need God and His grace to help us in our time of need.