I am often shocked by how much grace I need. How many new mercies I find myself requiring each and every single morning.
Especially as a mother. Way back when I wore purple yarn ribbons in my pigtails and unicorns on my sneakers, I wanted to be a mom. My mom practically has a Master’s degree in nurturing others. She served us all so well that she often fell asleep at red lights just to catch up on rest. She loved us all and loved us fervently. I saw what it meant to truly sacrifice for another and I wanted to be someone’s mother way back then.
And now, when I look into the little faces looking up at me, I cannot help but wish sometimes that I didn’t mess up so often. But more than I would ever want them to have a perfect mother, I want for them to have a REAL mother. To see that real moms love big and mess up sometimes.
One day, I hope they will be in my shoes– and when they look back as I often do, I pray that they will remember that in this imperfect house, we loved big and forgave much.
As they look at themselves, I pray that they give themselves the GRACE to know that love is risky and people are flawed.
And more than anything that we would want to teach the upturned faces that look up at us and follow close behind us, I pray that they see that REAL moms need grace.
Real moms can be tired and cranky and impatient and oh yeah– sinners in desperate DAILY need of a SAVIOR.
And maybe just one day in the far off future, they will grow up to be real moms in need of grace too. I pray they grab hold of that grace from God’s own hand every day. That they never lose sight of the fact that grace is more than just something we need when we mess up, but it’s the lifeblood that keeps us daily in His service and always at His feet.
“Grace isn’t about having a second chance; grace is having so many chances that you could never use them throughout all eternity and never come up empty. It’s when you finally realize that the other shoe isn’t going to drop, ever. It’s the moment you feel as precious and handmade as every star, when you feel, finally, at home for the very first time. Grace is when you stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that His game is a different one entirely.”
–Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet
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Such great encouragement!
Thank you Jolene!
Such great encouragement!
Thank you Jolene!
Cynthia, your post is rich in wisdom and full of encouragement. Thank you. Thanks also for including the quote from Shauna Niequist. Blessings to you my FMF neighbor. 🙂
Thank you! I’ve been reading a lot of Shauna lately so she’s seeping into my thoughts a lot! 😉
You are welcome. Shauna is a gifted writer.
Cynthia, your post is rich in wisdom and full of encouragement. Thank you. Thanks also for including the quote from Shauna Niequist. Blessings to you my FMF neighbor. 🙂
Thank you! I’ve been reading a lot of Shauna lately so she’s seeping into my thoughts a lot! 😉
You are welcome. Shauna is a gifted writer.
beautiful beautiful grace !! Thank you for such encouragement.
beautiful beautiful grace !! Thank you for such encouragement.
Love this! We do need grace and often times to not allow ourselves to accept it. Or is that just me? This quote from Shauna is awesome – “Grace is when you stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that His game is a different one entirely.” Visiting from FMF =) Have a great week!
Definitely not just you, me too! Her whole book deals with this, it’s called “Bittersweet” and has really been a treat. Thank you for stopping by!
Love this! We do need grace and often times to not allow ourselves to accept it. Or is that just me? This quote from Shauna is awesome – “Grace is when you stop keeping score and when you realize that God never was, that His game is a different one entirely.” Visiting from FMF =) Have a great week!
Definitely not just you, me too! Her whole book deals with this, it’s called “Bittersweet” and has really been a treat. Thank you for stopping by!