Looking for the Grace Moments- #GraceMoments Link Up

Have you ever considered the way that our collecting looks to God? I mean the way we busy ourselves with dates and days and times and numbers… like we are collecting important things and setting them aside for a special purpose.  I was convicted of that lately because I  sometimes let my schedule overflow with busy and forget that He calls me to pause and stop and rest on the journey.  I forget the part of not growing weary and of always having something new to say or read or discuss.

Perhaps we are not always contending, but the living can be tiresome and time seems to speed by when you are trying to count days and collect the graces. And we wonder if what we are doing is enough or important or necessary.  Or are we dwelling anywhere other than were He is because it is easier?

In our busy spaces we lose track of the joy in counting. There are just too many things to keep track of: commitments, upcoming plans, end-of-the-year meetings, gatherings, events, and the list goes on. We are sometimes good at filling the calendar but not so good at pausing to enjoy the moments the busy calendars are meant to provide. Right? Why do we plan so much if we aren’t going to enjoy it? Why do we run so fast through the garden if we can’t stop and smell the roses? Are you serving so much that weariness has become your normal?

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen adn relax our courage and faint. – Galatians 6:9

What if we reap what we sow…. will we be counting grace as we go?

Because sometimes when commitments and plans and the calendar smash together, we have some wounded that are left behind. Like when my kids think that I have more time for this blog or the agenda than I do to sit and listen to them think through a concept. (I have been guilty of both) Or when I maybe want to forgo a movie with some of the best kids I know so that I can get one more task crossed off my list. (Guilty, again.)  Rather than being a keeper at home and of my time, in the busy moments, I tend to  feel a little kept.  I often miss the memos on how to collect graces a little bit too easily, and I forget to slow down and enjoy the moments that are gone way too soon.  In the process I fail to gather up grace as a result.

When we release our schedules to the Lord, our time-keeping changes drastically.

My word for this year is release. It is a bit of a dangerous word… I am learning… it is a word which includes life lessons in abundance and somehow I need a lot of grace as I am studying this process. But I am seeking more  and more of Him as I let go of my hold on this world.  It is a good thing… a God-thing, to release our strangle holds on the things that are draining us. It is a good thing… a God-thing, when we release ourselves into the very capable hands of the  Father who has every intention of perfecting us for the place we are meant to inhabit.

And habitations tend to be a space where time passes by, surrounding our living with memories and messages that we build up and store. Sometimes, we are storing space that only catches dust because we don’t want to dangle it loose, like we are holding on to the preciousness of it and that somehow makes it valuable. Yet, other times, when we let God into the space we are called to dwell, we learn the power of deep heart collecting.  There is an overflow of wonder when we let Him lead us in the journey and we have more time to pause, even in the busy spaces, and settle in to see a little deeper.

Time seems to multiply when it is spent with God. We become grace collectors when we imitate  His habit of dwelling close. Our estimation of how fast time flies has a different perspective.  We are changed for the waiting because we learn to pass time on purpose.

But how do we pass the time on purpose, letting go of the indeterminate and grabbing on to the surety of here and now?

How do we master the busy without casualties?

I think the first step is to recognize that Grace is in the pause.  It is in the moment we get a glimpse of our outcomes.  It is here, in the space where we see the dusty image of ourselves holding tight to a frail hope whose foundation has been built on ‘I’ instead of  ‘I Am’. And right there we let go. We release the need to hold on to anything but the hand of the One who doesn’t miss the beautiful or the glorious that is always present in His presence.

When we get busy, especially if it is a routine thing… something we feel like we need to get through so we can get to the end… we lose sight of the walking by faith part of our living. Grace is in the routine.We miss the detour signs and end up lost because we are so focused on the  finality of counting the days instead of the graces. Before we know it the days pass by and we want to have just a little more time, because somehow we didn’t set our sights on the gift of right now and the simplicity of living in His mercy at the moment.

I am learning though, through theses litter spaces of light on the journey,  that the art of releasing lines up with the passion of collecting simultaneously. Grace is in the dwelling.   We begin to see our habitation as a place where dwelling close allows Him to expand our borders and enlarge our tents.  We become the grace dwellers who  collect simplicity and let love be the ornament that colors our life.

Grace Moments are found  in the counting of the mundane every day and the exciting special days and everything in between.

• They are hidden in the apologies and moments repentant hearts seek restitution.
• They shine when forgiveness is given and when the intentional good is received rather than perceived.
• They multiply when we release our hold on the circumstances and let God be the I Am in our midst.
• They surround us when we scatter hope as a seed and choose to love even when time feels short.
• They abound when we choose to attend rather than exist in our relationships.

I have been letting go of some of those little things, counting even the difficult and somewhat busy  as a grace moment to learn more about His Way on this journey. I found that my heart grew wide as I had the chance to choose extra time with the people I love rather than trying to keep time with the calendar that has been mastering my days.  And I learned that joy replaces regret because when we choose His way… Love over obligation… He somehow makes the way clearer and fuller and brighter and the calendar doesn’t loom so large when our time revolves around the Son rather than myself and right in the middle of it,the reward was already mine.  How like God to meet our needs, our real needs, with the grace of being at the right place at the right time and showing up right in the midst of our living. God is always good!

“And out of His fullness we have all received, grace for grace.” -John 1:16

Where are you releasing the busy and collecting grace?

It’s your turn to be a Grace counter!  Share your grace moment in the comments below and then count grace with a friend with comment on a blog or two.

If you are a blogger, link up here with  a post about finding grace moments in your life or one of your favorite inspiring and encouraging posts from this week. Share your thoughts in the comment section telling me about the #Grace Moments you experienced this week. *(only 1 post per link please)*

Take time to visit your neighbor next to you, and if you want visit a few more friends on the journey. We all need a little encouragement and affirmation as we travel together.

If you don’t have a blog, you can connect with me via my Journeys in Grace FB page by sharing a photo or a comment.  Or you can join the party by sharing your images on Instagram with #Gracemoments hashtag.

Each week I will  try visit as many of your amazing  posts as I can.This is a safe place to sit and dwell in grace together, friends. I can’t wait to pour a cup of friendship with you and take in the grace moments you have to share. Don’t forget to leave a comment below, I love to hear from you.