Grace

Yesterday in Sunday School when we were discussing the meaning of the term “blessed” in the Sermon on the Mount (blessed are the meek, blessed are the peacemakers etc.) a number of people were finding a way to say that being blessed meant God making you happy by making your life better. I don’t think so. I think being blessed is God seeing us and giving us the grace to deal with our circumstances, making us able to be content in whatever circumstance we face, knowing that we are not far from His love and care.? To equate being blessed with being happy often causes us to measure our blessedness in the things that we have that “make us happy”. Instead I think that we are told that the persecuted, the reviled and the poor in spirit are blessed because they understand that God will watch over and care for them, and give them what they need as well as vindication in the end.

As I sit here this morning , only half awake since the unexpected result of all three children suddenly deciding to sleep through the night is that I’m sleeping much deeper and finding it harder to wake up…I find that I am thinking about the necessity of reaching out and apprehending grace on a daily if not hourly basis. I need grace to interact well with the children, teach them school, clean the house…I need grace to be clear, honest and who I am in conversation, whether in person or on this blog. And I need grace to remember that I need grace!

Remembering grace received last week at the beginning of this one:

  • a good start to our next six weeks of school
  • cooler weather for a few days
  • a garden that is starting to produce
  • children who are so very kind to one another
  • grace to not speak
  • grace to speak
  • The Word which often comes to mind
  • good discussions
  • a visit from a friend
  • long Bike’speditions
  • and many, many more things I point to and say “that was grace”
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3 Responses to Grace

  1. Wonderful thoughts on blessings and grace. Love this – “I think being blessed is God seeing us and giving us the grace to deal with our circumstances.”

    • K_Steinmann says:

      Thanks, Amanda…I find so often that the way we popularly use language has changed so much over time that the meanings we once all understood are no longer common…and we need to search Scripture until we understand again…K

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