Graciousness

This is probably one of my favorite attributes about my husband. He is incredibly gracious. Defined as: pleasantly, kind, benevolent, courteous, merciful, and compassionate. Have you ever had someone give you grace when you didn't deserve it? Have you ever been rude and received a kindness instead of retaliation? It's the best, the absolute best. Receiving undeserved mercy and compassion does something to me! It changes my heart. It melts away my anger and helps me to see things in a less heated way.

Thank you for giving me grace every single day Steve.

A New Day and a New Beginning

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. Psalms 23: 1-4

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-33

I love these verses. Have you ever had a pit in your stomach the moment you wake up the morning? Has your heart ever been filled with anxiety as you get ready for the day, because of an overcast of depression or fear in your spirit? Yes this is me, a worrying Wanda and an anxious Annie. Yes, many days in my life I have spent (or wasted one might say) starting out with a cup full of misery and a bowl of fear. Fearful of what? That's a really good question. My fears have rarely been so great that I couldn't function and seem normal on the outside. I have been an actually been pretty high-functioning considering the level of stress I feel on daily basis. It had sort of become a state of normalcy for me. I feared people. Friends. Family. Strangers passing by. Grocery clerks scanning my food items. It's a fear that at times has been incapacitating for me. A silent look away or an awkward moment, leaving me wondering what the other person was thinking about me. You see, I had centered my entire life around wanting other people to like me! Around wanting others approval. Chasing an image... wanting to be someone else. As I am typing, it seems a little ridiculous! But it was true, and some days in the present moment it still is true.

I absolutely cling to the above verses because I know that is in the Lord alone that I can overcome my fears and anxieties. Psalm 23 promises us that the Lord is our Shepherd. He cares for us and guides us. He is the one whom I need to aim to please! How comforting it is to know that I don't need to worry about what so and so thinks and about me. I only need to accept that the Lord God Almighty, my Creator, loves me enough that He sends new mercies (and Hope!) to me every morning. He knows that are weak in a human form and gives us abounding mercy everyday. How eternally grateful I am for mercy and acceptance.

As the Lord continues to do his good work in me, I am going to keep marching on. Every morning I will be reminding myself of the Lord's mercies for me. I will be laying down my fear and anxiety at the feet of Jesus and picking up acceptance, grace, and love from my maker. I could eat a bowl of that! Or maybe 1,000.