Amazing Grace

I have had this post running around in my head for over a week! Gods grace is everywhere we look, there are so many songs written of it, so much of christian faith is foundationally built upon the grace of God. We would not exist without the grace of God because it's the grace of God that keeps us alive, and it's the grace of God that allows the gift of eternal life.

So fittingly, I named my new baby girl Grace. She was born last Friday night, and the name Grace has been written on my heart for quite some time. It has been a year of "grace" I should say.

From the get-go, my desires to have another child were intense. I prayed desperately for another baby, which for those of you who know me, this may come as some surprise because my first two babes are pretty close in age. But once the idea, (desire) for another child was planted in my heart, I could not erase it. There were many reasons I wanted another child, some of them were selfish, some of them were simply based on my intense passion for the gift of life. The selfish reasons were ones that motivated my actions of "trying" so hard. I tried within my own power, and with everything I knew how to do to conceive. All my efforts failed. When I surrendered my desires to the Lord, ceased my "trying"...that is when I was first given "Grace."

The months following were quite difficult, sickness took over me like a wave and discontinued my ability to function. I was stripped of all things that brought me comfort here on earth, "food, ability to exercise and run, the ability to "do it all" for everyone." I was stripped of my self sufficiency, and all pride that encompassed that, disappeared as well. The Lord took me back to my original place of complete dependence on Him. Talk about Grace.

As I studied the book of Isaiah this winter, much of it is based on God's sovereignty, and of course, His Grace. Tears lept to my eyes every time God's Grace was mentioned in the study talks, because I knew God was showing me this in a very personal way. I had Grace living inside me like I never had before.

So in the days approaching Grace's arrival, I knew there was truly only one name for God's ultimate gift....Life is His gift to us. Grace in life, is His ultimate gift to us, and I received both!

So as I heard life's first cry last Friday night, I wept. Knowing that God brought into completion a visual picture of a spiritual realm that I so often fail to recognize, or try to comprehend.

I still am whirling from the amazing gift I was handed tangibly handed that night, and from the spiritual gift I was given, but mainly, how it was brought to life with birth of my Grace.

This line from the song "Amazing Grace" has been ringing in my ears since I conceived, and I thought I'd share it with you my friends:

T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed

He taught my heart to fear through the amazing circumstances of when her life began, and my heart most certainly learned to fear God in a healthy way though my difficult circumstances that encompassed my pregnancy, and Oh how precious the Grace of God appeared the hour I first believed His promises to me, regarding Grace, regarding life, and regarding how much He loves us.

That's my story about Grace!