In my last post, I mentioned how many "grass stains" I might have avoided if I had stayed on the sidewalk. My mind has been wrestling this a bit this past week and while I still believe that God provides us the choice to walk a path of little resistance, I also believe that He loves us right where we are, no matter what grass stains we have picked up along the way and to top it all off, He brings the best blessings from our biggest stains.
There are several stains that I know I would never give back if given the opportunity. These are the ones that I have learned the most from and have ultimately helped me to grow closer to Him. These are the ones that have helped me to understand the perspective of someone else going through a similar situation and allow me to be more compassionate and accepting than I might have otherwise been.
Of course there are those "stains" I would love to give back. Probably the ones that show my selfishness, my self-centeredness, my lack of humility, my lack of patience and understanding. My ability to judge others with a horribly critical slant. The list goes on and on. But all is not lost. I trust in His mercy and His forgiveness and I know that He will provide me more opportunities to move past these flaws into actions that are more loving.
Once I learn to embrace life's challenges with grace on a consistent basis, from the little annoyances such as a longer-than-enjoyable-grocery checkout line, to the larger ones such as broken air conditioners, illnesses, financial uncertainty, and more, I am assured that peace will abound in my life and the lives of those I love most.
Thoughtful post Karen-especially life's biggest blessings from life's biggest stains. We so often have to take stock of what we have, not what we have not.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the inspiration too and thanks for the reminder! :)
Thank you. Again you have shared in a way that I will be looking at my stains and trying to take my anxiety to Him in prayer.
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