Grace.
An amazing word.
How it touches us deep in our soul when we receive it.
How noticeable when grace is absent.
This week I had two experiences – one in which I received grace & one in which I was not the recipient of grace. In a nutshell….
I missed the June deadline to sign our oil contract for this coming winter. I missed it. Totally my own fault. I decided to sign the contract & put in my check. I didn’t date it in the hopes that it would all slip by. I received the phone call. They had received the contract & all the reserve oil was first come, first serve & was already depleted. **insert sound of my heart dropping here** The disappointment I felt was huge. My husband works so hard & I try to save money wherever I can. I blew it big time & this was going to cost us over the course of this winter. Due to being on the verge of tears, I quickly replied to him that I fully understood & I expected to pay street price. His response? GRACE. While they couldn’t offer the contract price, they set my price per gallon to their price of ten cents more. There are no words to express what I felt in my heart. And this is why they are the best oil company in my area. Well, maybe not but in my book they surely are!
Next incident…..
My husband had a 10:30 doctor appointment. Left work at 9:30 in order to get to in on time. Meets up with a car accident on the highway & calls me at 9:20 asking me to call the office & let them know he is going to be 10 minutes late. Her reply? They have a 7 minute rule – if you are later than 7 minutes, you will not be seen. I explained the situation again, in the hopes she hadn’t understood or heard me, and she repeated their 7 minute rule. No grace. None. All over 3 minutes.
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Grace is a reprieve. Grace allows you to breathe instead of die. Grace elicits a response of gratitude, of joy. Grace fosters an appreciation in our heart towards the one giving the grace. It raises an awareness in our hearts & minds that we deserved harsher & the giver extended what we weren’t worthy to receive.
That’s when it hit me…..
I have received & continue to receive grace every day.
“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”  (John 1:16 NASB).
Grace.
                What an amazing gift. May I freely give what I have been given.
                             
