Grace, just what my dull heart needed.
As I watch the
twinkling Christmas lights across the neighborhood, it reminds me of the
gift of grace. Children delight in the
new fallen snow and make pretend angels on the white blanket in their yard. Neighbors reach out with cards, cookies, and
calls of cheer. They have forgotten
their summer plight with weeds or noisy neighbor children.
The world looks
different during the holiday season.
People are smiling more, singing the carols that have lived in their
hearts since childhood. Sparkling eyes
from the granddaughters remind me this season is truly magic and majestic.
Adult children
return home to sniff the fragrance of the fresh evergreens and favorite
recipes baking in the oven. Stacks of
frosted cookies remind them of their childhood.
Silver and red packages hold a mystery of what is to come on Christmas
day. Everyday has some precious memory
of the past or that is being realized this day.
I call all this
God’s grace. I remember how unexpected
His grace was on a sad and lonely day. I
understood His grace at the loss of my parents.
I embraced His grace when I first held my newborn sons. I hunger for His grace more than for the
roasting turkey, baked cookies, or seasonal cranberry recipes. I see His grace as a white blanket that keeps
me warm regardless of life’s turns and trials.
Because of God’s grace, I see with new eyes this season the birth of
Christ. I know that it is grace that lifted my dull heart into one of
expectancy of the second coming. For
grace, I am thankful.
