Linda Buishas
Grace is a word that inspires me with thoughts of elegance and purity. It reminds me that beauty, goodness, and selflessness surround me. We experience grace often and, at times, in surprising ways. It gives of itself without expecting anything in return.
Grace is the victim who forgives the accused and wishes them well. Grace feeds the hungry, reads to the blind, visits the sick, and cares for the widows. It serves coffee in treasured China cups to a handyman and, without blinking, forgives him when he breaks it (a sweet memory of my mom). Grace brings coffee cake to a new neighbor, invites her to a party, gives her a ride to lunch, saves a seat for her, or brings her a plant for no reason at all, and so many other acts of kindness. (You all know who you are.) Grace is an unmerited favor, freely given. How blessed I am that God has sent me to a place called Robson Ranch where, in so many people I meet, in every invitation or welcoming hug or smile, I experience the gift of grace for which I am humbly grateful. Whether the givers of that splendid gift realize it or not, they are vessels through which the Grace of God kindly flows. He is pleased to please us, even in the tiniest of ways. (I call them “His little kisses on the cheek.”)
God’s Grace sheds light in the darkest of places and can free us from any source of pain. It gives us breath and eternal life. He is the One through Whom all blessings flow, and He empowers me to pass them on. No one could ever afford His Gift nor do enough good works to earn it, yet God offers it to the best and worst of us.
John Newton was considered among the worst of men. His life and deeds brought him disgrace, humiliation, and thoughts of murder and suicide. When a disastrous storm threatened to take his life, he called out to God, and his ship drifted to safety. He was overcome by the realization that his rescue was by God’s Grace alone. This revelation eventually took him from slave trader to Anglican Priest. He wrote the powerful song “Amazing Grace” to tell his story. It reminds me that each of us has stories to share of God’s undeserved blessings. I marvel in my grace-filled life, in God’s profound kindnesses. I can’t imagine what my life would be without Him.
My wish for you this coming year is that your lives will overflow with the goodness of God’s Grace. May you pass it on to others, give yourself a little, too, and don’t forget to look for “His little kisses on your cheek.” Happy New Year, dear neighbors and friends.
“For from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17)