grace

Last night I finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See. I remember hearing on the radio about the death of their child several years ago, and how everytime I would hear one of his songs, especially the Cinderalla song he wrote about his daughter before her death, I would send up a quick prayer for that family. I also remember hearing a snippet of her testimony on the radio where she commented that you teach truths all your life, but it's when the hardships come that your faith is truly put into action.

As one would expect in reading a book about death and dealing with the intersection of faith and life, it was a hard, sad read. But I finished that book overwhelmed and reminded of God's grace in the midst of life's hardships.

Then this morning I heard from a friend in high school. He struggled with drugs throughout most of his teen years and then another hard fight in his mid-twenties. Someone had made a video for Easter about what Christ can do in a person's life, and he was in rehab with one of the couples and was saying he got to witness the transformation in their lives. (And I think the change in Ray is quite remarkable, too!)

And then I skimmed this month's prayer calendar for the Muslim community that a friend of mine gave me. The month of April is about grace, and today's thought was how hard people in the Islamic faith work to do good deeds and be ritually cleansed for prayer. Grace is never mentioned or offered.

I think because I grew up in a Christian home and have experienced grace so often and so much, I often tend to take it for granted. And yet, that's the last thing I should be taking for granted. For without it, I would be in deep trouble.