It was one of those mornings…
I woke early with a decisive plan of action. I would sneak out of the hotel room, unnoticed, and spend quality time with God. It would be lovely. Quietly tiptoeing through the room, I freshened up in the bathroom, and excitedly headed back to my phone.
Except, upon my return, my phone was gone. It wasn’t where I left it. Did my son take it? I checked under his covers. No sight of it.
Grr… My phone was my way to solace and The Scriptures.
Not knowing how it disappeared between wake-up time and now, I retraced my steps. Did I put it in the bathroom? No, not there. Is it on the floor next to the bed? Not there either. Is it under my bed? Nope. Is it in the bathroom again? Still not there.
My husband jostled awake.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Looking everywhere for my phone,” I replied with a tone of annoyance, “I am trying to spend some quality time with God.”
Back to the bathroom I went. Still not there. Under my bed. Not there.
Then, my daughter spoke up, “Mom? I have your phone.”
“You what?!” I unloaded. “Don’t you dare take my phone off the charger in the mornings without asking me!!!!” I went off on her.
Granted, I didn’t sleep at all the night before, but, still friends, I went off on her.
Feeling like a pile of dirt, I left the room to go downstairs via the elevator. Along the way, I jostled through all my thoughts… I’m sorry God. Why do I have to react so easily? I hate it when I unload on people. Why can’t I be more patient?
Ding!
The elevator doors opened, interrupting my thoughts. As I popped out, a woman held the elevator door open for me with her hand. How kind and unusual of her to do so, I thought. This woman cares.
Stepping out of the elevator, I glanced at her shirt. On it, it read, “Grace Unlimited.”
And, I knew, God was speaking to me…
Despite my morning mistake, there was “Grace Unlimited.” Despite my quick reaction, there is, “Grace Unlimited.” Despite a hard morning, “Grace Unlimited” still dawns.
It is impossible to outrun God’s grace when Jesus outdid sin on the cross! There is no mistake too big, no situation too large, no morning too broken, no person too out of it – for God’s grace to work.
God’s grace is UNLIMITED for every believer. This is why it is called amazing grace. The key to receiving grace is believing in grace.
For me? I had to finally forgive myself to let go and let God’s abundant, unmerited favor flood my soul.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)
God’s grace holds the door open for us, even when we’ve acted like buffoons three minutes before. It is the doorway to goodness, despite us, because of Him. It truly is amazing and unlimited.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your amazing and unlimited grace. It is nearly too big a thing for us to comprehend… It is too wondrous a thing for us to understand how it works… But still, we are always in your good graces. We are always loved by you. We are always forgiven. Oh, how we thank you. May we never forget your grace, your love, and how your forgiveness abounds to us! It is a huge thing and a wonderful gift and we thank you for it. May grace always abound to us and out to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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