GRACE

Hello Friends. 

I want to talk to you today about GRACE.  This post comes about because of something someone said to my MOM that caused her to shake her head.  I will not go in the details about that, but I will share with you what my MOM shared with me Saturday night.  It was late and we were at church and at some point we went in to the sanctuary church and MOM laid on her back in the chancel area looking up she said a prayer.  I knew this was an important moment so I laid there with her with my head on her chest.  I am putting some photos up of what we saw as we laid there in the silence of our thoughts and prayers.

Grace, as it turns out, is God’s unconditional, everlasting love for all of God’s creation.  God’s grace is not something that covers our sin like syrup, grace gets into our very being and transforms us. 

Even though there is  different terms used for Grace, Sanctifying, Justifying, and Prevenient, and there are other aspects of grace as well, make no mistake - God’s grace is one grace. There is one grace of God that is experienced in many different ways.

The one way we experience is called Prevenient Grace.  Prevenient Grace means God’s love and God’s grace is present with us throughout our entire lives. The term Prevenient comes from the Latin and means, “to come before.”  In Christian thought it means the grace that comes before any human endeavor.  Prevenient grace is at work before we are even aware of it.

So how do we specifically experience God’s Prevenient Grace? God reaches out to us through events in our lives, both positive and negative. The Holy Spirit can speak to our minds and our hearts through the stuff of life. Through music, relationships, art, and the natural beauty that surrounds us, God shows us his love and touches our soul. God is speaking and revealing himself even through the struggles, frustrations, and difficulties.

I'm going to tell you a story about Prevenient Grace in my MOM's life.  This is a story well before my time.  It is a story that my MOM thought of as she talked with this person who caused MOM to shake her head.

Looking back over that time before Grace broke thru, MOM could see events happening and people around her that God was using to touch her life.  And believe me, it still happens today.  Did you know that God's Prevenient Grace can work through those who don’t even know they are doing God’s work?  It's true.

In MOM's mid 20’s, after several challenging and life crushing events in her life she was once again "starting over” in many ways.  Each night MOM would walk her heart dog, Pete.  A 140 lbs Lab Great Dane mix through her neighborhood. 

This is Pete

Just up the street from her lived an elderly woman, named Gladis.  For whatever reason Pete would stop in front of Gladis' gate and it would take MOM a while to get him to move on.  (You try puling a 140 lbs of fur, muscle and determination).  One day as he stopped in front of the gate he started barking, something he rarely did.  Try as MOM might she could not make him stop barking or make him move.  After a while the screen door opened and out stepped this tiny 5 foot nothing, maybe 100 pounds soaking wet, elderly woman.  MOM began to apologize for Pete's behavior.  This elderly woman just put up a hand as if to shush my MOM.  

As Gladis approached her gate Pete sat right down and stopped barking.  She opened the gate and patted him on the head and handed him a treat of some sort.  It was like they were long lost friends.  This went on for a few days and then one day Gladis asked if MOM would like something to drink and to have a “sit” on the porch.  Long story short a wonderful and beautiful relationship developed.  Certainly aside from my MOM's grandparents, the most meaningful relationship she had to that point in her life.  Gladis made MOM feel welcomed, loved, needed.  Gladis really was Jesus' hands, feet and heart here on earth.  

Something funny though, Gladis never went to church, she never proclaimed Christ, BUT through her actions and love for my MOM, and her willingness to care for her, God’s grace could work in MOM's life.  Her love, God’s love, could keep a flicker of hope alive in MOM, until MOM could really and truly and fully accept God's grace herself.  God’s Prevenient Grace working through Gladis, allowed MOM to become the person that she is. 

And I believe without a doubt and with my whole heart (as does my MOM), that it was God’s Prevenint Grace working through Pete as well.

You see God’s Preveient Grace never lets us get so far away that we can’t respond to Christ’s invitation to relationship – over and over and over again.  Grace is always pursuing us, wooing us, shaping us, transforming us – and working to help us know and experience love and beauty, wholeness and healing in our lives and relationships.

And despite what others think, often times we can even experience God's Prevenient Grace through those who don't even know that they are doing God's work.

"Out of his fullness we have received grace in place of grace already given." John 1:16

Blessings,

Goose