A Heart Overflowing: Counting One Thousand Gifts (#252-260)

Grace Magazine

Grace isn't easy.  And during this last year, I've worked hard to be more gracious in many ways.  Grace is not a stranger to me -- God has blessed me with His grace a thousand times over.  Grace is sensual, warm, intoxicating, diaphanous -- you know it when you feel it wash over you.  But physical limitations aside, and they could be used as excuses for not being gracious, this wasn't my most gracious year.

So, in 2012, my desire is to grow closer to God not only to experience more of His grace in my life but also to experiment with touching others with that grace in ways I've never tried before.  I read just yesterday of a man who decided one year to resolve to write thank you's, not emails, not text messages, but handwritten notes to people who'd done something nice for him -- the barista in his coffee shop, the teller at the bank, the person who straightened out a discrepancy on a bill -- you get the idea.  For each of the 365 notes he gave out, he most always received a very positive response in return.

What does this tell us?  Grace given is grace returned.  Fairly simple, but often hard to put into action.  What are you doing to extend grace to those around you?  Do you need to experience more of God's grace to you?  Then draw closer -- God will provide.  Come with me, won't you, on this journey to Grace.

www.aholyexperience.com

252.  Sounds of rain and wind
253.  Beginning signs of tiny green shoots and buds
254.  Progress in recovery
255.  Connecting with two high school friends I've not seen since 1964
256.  God's incredible goodness in 2011
257.  Frost painting patterns on the ground
258.  Sunny Sunday to begin 2012
259.  Sweet little girl at the Children's Sermon, the only girl among all those boys
260.  Dappled sunlight to begin the day, telling me it's working hard to wake up too