When hope steps into grace…. #GraceMoments Link Up

There are pieces of our days that keep us bound to wonder,  moments that surprise and remind us that  our yesterdays are tied to our tomorrows and today is the path that takes us between them.  When the day we walk in is a bridge that connects those pieces, it adds depth to the journey…it creates the scenery of the story that we write.

And the fascinating thing about stories is the way the details, the little things that seem inconsequential, are actually the turning points…or the climax … that lead us to see the big picture. I am finding that wisdom comes with vision, like Solomon wrote about in Proverbs.  The  more that I can see His handiwork, even in the midst of my questions, then it is that much easier to still bask in the power of hope.

Because hope makes a way for us to step into grace.

While I have been spending days learning about Sabbath Rest, the world has continued spinning faithfully around me.  People making decisions, launching futures, planning  for up-and-coming calendar days,  and following the constant cycle of walking by faith even if it is just to get to the end of the day.

Just as it should be… we are to be busy about living, intent about seeking the Holy in the mist of the wholly normal…because it is here in the places where we feel normal that extraordinary awaits.

His Word reminds us that we are to keep ourselves free from the worry of tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we are to abandon the value of obedient seeking in our today. Looking ahead to know how to step in the right now, yet trusting that what we don’t know, what we don’t see, is already met by His provision.

Faith keeps us stepping out with hope as a certainty into the width of grace.

And it is easy to misstep on this journey, unable to see the hopeful when disappointment and unmet expectations overwhelm us. These moments tend to blur our focus by their temporary status, but they are meant to be pieces that lead us further into His plan. Just like each stitch of a quilt has its level of significance, the individual segments of each today hold tight the thread that keeps our tomorrow together.

This knowing and being known, pursuing and being pursued, waiting and being waited upon are the pieces we collect and bind together to fulfill a higher purpose as we go.

Because His Providence reminds us that because He is always good, we can embrace the  hard knowing the final masterpiece of our days will fully reflect His goodness in our lives.

When plans and hopes change direction…

I am really just processing these  thoughts about hope and grace together.  The way that hope is a doorway and grace is an ample path we are called to walk into.  Even more, I am sifting the promise of His sure and steadfast mercy as a constant stream of His love, especially when I can’t see the fulfillment of that promise like He does…yet.

• Lamentations reminds us that His mercies are new every day. (Lam 3:23)
• Proverbs declares that it is the glory of kings to search out the hidden things of God.(Prov 25:2 )
• Romans assures us that good is the outcome for those who love God.(Rom 8:28)

So, when disappointment comes, when plans fail, and when the hard becomes our reality does it change the promise that hope holds for us with grace?

Last month I found out that the little piece of my heart, which I spent much of myself into,  was being  returned.  This creative piece that I loaned away was being put back into my hands… and it was a little too easy to feel like a failure.  The book I labored over and poured time and prayer into was now being pulled from the publisher’s shelves, no longer to be made available.

But today as I fielded another call about a student who eager to know more about what law was meant to resemble, and the way words were crafted into a document that has lasted over 200 years,  I was reminded of how I wrote the book in the first place…doing what I love to do… teaching others.  While I spent time feeling a bit lost in my journey, sad at the ending of one connection, He is beginning to show me how it is possible to overcome the loss with a brand new possible.

My daughter had a breakthrough seizure  almost 2 weeks ago, spiraling us back into the chaos of medicine changes, doctor calls, rescheduled calendars and a broken-hearted girl. I can tell you truthfully, I hate epilepsy. I dislike what it has done to her life.

Yet, as we find ourselves once again looking for ways to go beyond the unknown by trusting the very One who has always known just what will help our girl, we take our faith and give it wings to fly right into the face of fear and filling with hope that can never be deferred. And we remember that Epilepsy is just a name and Jesus is the name above all names, through Him she is an overcomer.

When each new day of parenting these teens and adult children continually stretches me,  threatening to let joy seep through the cracks and spill unlovely all over the place. Or when injuries prevent me from finding solace in my quiet space of logging steps, I tend to be a little more impatient than grace-filled through the day and I can stop moving forward.

However, I am rediscovering the art of continual prayer, without ceasing. Of letting go and letting God be in control of making sure His Word does not return to Him void. AKA…it is NOT up to me to make sure it all works out. So this faith that I find by depositing His Word in my heart over and over grows through the communion of conversation as I pause low at the bench of prayer.

Even in the waiting, there is seeking. Even in the pausing,  there is beauty.  Even in the trusting, there is redemption. No matter where we stop on the path , we can still look for His glory.  

Because when we trust that His Word says that He works out all things for our good, that He is diligently seeking those whose hearts are steadfastly set on Him, that our unremarkable moments have merit…then we recognize the value of  building hope to carry us on our way.

Set your hope wholly on grace as you continually walk by faith.

Peter talks about this hope filling we are encouraged to pursue.  He catalogs for us a way to build our portfolio by being those who set hope as our banner with as grace is our wholesome pursuit.

And what would that look like?

Sincere, pure, regenerative hope is enduring; it is strong enough to anchor our souls as we travel through our days.

• Setting your hope wholly on grace may just be found in the waiting as we brace our minds to contemplate just how deep and how wide and how great is this holy love He has for us.
• It may be seen in the diligence of waiting for the reward of believing that He is exactly who He said He is, and because God is God… and we are not… He will follow through on every precious promise with a Yes and Amen.
• Perhaps it is felt as we recognize of the distinguished hallmark of redemption, stamped and sealed upon us, to identify not just who we are but to Whom we belong.

Because for our sake He spilled red so that hope would be the door that allows us to step right into the ocean of His grace.

I was gently reminded today that though life continues to revolve around  me, even when my plans seem to stall… plans are incomplete…and doors seem to be shut, hope is the doorway to stepping into each new moment we collect with grace as our companion.

“So gird up your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the  revelation of Jesus…He that calls  you is holy, so be holy.” 1 Peter 13,15

Friend, if you are there too… waiting for that doorway of hope to open up into his wide expanse of grace, let the entrance of His Word, His being, His fullness meet you right where you are. May the coming of the Author of Salvation into your seemingly unremarkable and ordinary moments be the catalyst  that leads your heart on this journey to collect #GraceMoments in abundance.  As you embrace this way of grace living and you’ll find that the mementos  are more than just memories, but the refining pieces that reveal His pursuit of you and the doorway to step right into the midst of 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.