Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.- Hebrews 4:16
The more I look for grace, the more I find it. These moments that we are searching for, the ones where God meets us and favors us with kindness and mercy and the undeserved in our midst… they are the snippets of wonder that are hidden yet waiting to be found. And I’ve been wrestling with words in my quiet time, letting my heart be met by the wonder of His glory as I look deeper and wait longer in the process of resting.
Rest is a recharging and a rebooting of our soul and it is a gift that we ought to purpose to know better, especially when we slow down and settle near to the throne of grace with confidence and assurance that what we know about God is true and what we hope for is undeniably real. And those moments when we wait on God, when we look for Him and wait to be found by Him, we grow more than confidence… we are built up in faith.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.-Hebrews 11:1
Some of your words are reminding me about the purpose of slowing down and looking close and being assured and confident that He is working out those good and glorious and holy things that make up the Moments of Grace which pour out of His sufficiency.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9
And I am grateful you are here to share them with us. Your words are reminding me of why I love to write! Here are few of my favorites this week. Thanks for sticking with me during this small break. I am praying for you!
Words and Deeds
Pam has a way of always making me pause with her words and just dwell a bit. I love to visit her blog. This post caught my eye because I have been discussing integrity with my grown son on repeat lately. Parenting in any stage is never easy, but when I see stories of men of valor, of honor and of courage I am encouraged to hope and inspired to keep having those conversations with him. This post reminded me of the power of words and the essence of integrity in the soul of those who seek truth and why we need to remember to be both hearers and doers in this journey of grace we are traveling.
Breaking the Chains of Depression
Tammy addresses a difficult topic with grace and she reminds us that Jesus is there to walk us through the valleys and escort us shoulder-to-shoulder into that space where joy will meet us. I am convinced we can’t talk about this enough. I am sure that we need to keep addressing the hard things so that faith can take root and grace can bloom in those places where darkness keeps us bound to the lie that we’ll never really feel better. Depression is a chain that binds us but Jesus is the chain breaker. Having wrestled with the weight of this burden and watching people I love wander in the lonely places that depression likes to hover, I am drawn to the encouragement that leads us to find light. Tammy reminds us that Jesus came that we would have abundant life and reminds us that it is ok to seek help, to look for hope, and to settle close in the sufficiency of His Grace.
Include Others and Others Include You
Jennifer’s title pulled me in. There is a conversation I have with a friend often about the way grace is not exclusive, the way it is wholly inclusive… always. The way the Gospel is for all those who come seeking and searching for hope and salvation. She shares about the “fringe friends” and it make me think about the concepts of margin, the way we need to make space in our days for the fringe of grace that we only find when we look closely at the easy-to-miss moments. The fringe is often the frayed space at the edges of what we have left, but what if we see it as the extra instead? She shares a few questions about the way we include people and passion and prayer and it left me wondering how to make room for the fringe.
Make sure you take time to visit Pam, Tammy and Jennifer and be blessed by their words this week!
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.
Thank you for hosting Dawn, & for the 2 Cor reminder, especially apt for my post this week!
It’s easy to miss these moments in the busyness of day to day living, but even the miracle of sleeping and waking up should leave us in awe of the wonders of God. Thanks for this reminder, Dawn. Blessings to you.
Funny how words and images work together to take our thoughts in a direction. My grandson is such a fan of dandelions this spring, and the little raggedy bouquets he picks for me are pure grace. They’re every where! And they’re so common, but in his sweaty little grip, they become a grace gift.
Your opening line grabbed me, Dawn: “The more I look for grace, the more I find it.” That truth in itself is an act of grace. Thank you, Lord.
Thanks, Dawn, for your very gracious affirmation of my writing and the review of Words and Deeds. Your encouragement came at such a good time. Blessings on you and yours!💕
A good reminder that God’s love for us is around every corner if we only open our eyes. laurensparks.net