It takes grace to say goodbye when you’re in a place of unfinished, unmet, unresolved life issues. We have been given that grace. Just something we all need to remember as we say goodbye to one year and greet a new one. It is by God’s grace that we are able to handle these things. I have not been able to get the grace of God off of my mind for weeks. It is His grace that has saved my life and for that I am and will be eternally grateful. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” If you don’t know what grace really means let’s discuss it. I can only tell you about what it has meant and means to me. There are several meanings of grace such as elegance, beauty, a pleasing or attractive quality. That’s not the grace that impacts our lives every day. I’m referring to meanings such as favor, goodwill, mercy, pardon, unmerited or undeserved love by God. All I have to do is think about a time when my life was spared or think of all the blessings that comes my way when I am obedient to God’s small voice telling me to do something right now and I do it. Wow, the doors He opens or closes. It reminds me of how much He loves me. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed because I know that there is nothing extraordinary about me to deserve such favor. In II Cor. 12:9 the Apostle Paul talks about a thorn in the flesh he has. We don’t know what the thorn was. It’s not really important. We all have or will have issues that we keep going back to God about asking Him to take it out of our lives. He may tell us just like He told Paul “My grace is all that you need”. I’m so glad to know that God’s grace was available for me when I really needed it. I challenge you to recognize the grace of God working in your life. I’ve experienced His grace and it makes me love Him and want to be in His presence. Because of His mercy and grace I want to give back in whatever way he leads me to. It’s something I must do in response to His love and all He has done for me. It’s a way that I can show my gratitude.
This time of year make lots of people think of showing good will. Isn’t good will something we should be showing all the time? Grace, good will and gratitude, they’re all important to me. It’s not just a Christmas or holiday thing, it’s an everyday thing. I want to always be thankful to God and anyone who has helped or blessed me in any type of way. Hearing the words gratefulness and gratitude have become more common because they have gained increased attention from the scientific community. Gratitude, what does it really mean? Just off the top of my head I would say it is being thankful. But possibly it’s so much more and studies are proving there’s more to it than many realized. If you were to look up gratitude in the dictionary you would find meanings such as the quality of being grateful or thankful, appreciation as for gifts, kindness or benefits received. Thankfulness and appreciation are words that don’t just roll of the tongue anymore. Scientific studies have proven that gratitude is good for your mental health. People don’t just say thank you like they used to. How many of us are missing out on this proven opportunity to improve our health and be happier, simply by having an attitude of gratitude.
As we approach the end of another year people begin thinking about the year that is almost over. Thoughts start to go from obligations around Christmas and the New Year to making resolutions. In this busy hurried time it may be difficult to take the time to remember the special times you’ve had this past year but I encourage you to do it. Take a few minutes before this year closes and reflect on some special memories you have. I’m sure you can find one where you think “wow, God you truly have been good to me and for that I am so grateful.
There’s a grace in realizing we don’t deserve anything but we get to experience favor in our lives everyday. I‘m looking forward to 2024. I plan on being more courageous as I tell fear to “get out of here”. I encourage you to do the same and believe. Believe in whatever you might be afraid to believe for. Challenge yourself not to doubt but to trust God to answer your prayers. Believing that all things are possible has carried me a long way. I have found it’s okay to believe even if things don’t work out the way you are believing for. You can still have hope, I do. I hope that you have been inspired and encouraged today. I hope that you’ll stop by next year to see what’s on my heart and mind. I hope that you will experience the peace and joy that comes with having a grateful heart toward the giver of all things. Jesus loves you and truly wants the best for all of us. Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year.
From my heart to yours,
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