Grace of God ...

Grace ... as I understand it is "the undeserved gift of divine favor in the justification and then sanctification of sinners (from the Greek term charis)." God has given me many undeserved gifts, and has left how I use them or care for them up to me.

This morning, I blew it ... my dear Rooster (undeserved gift number 2 - my salvation being number 1) got up in a bit of a tizzy at 3:30 am because it was his first day back to work, after a long weekend off. I had not picked up from the laundry the starched jeans that he wanted, and I didn't have washed the particular shirts that he wanted to wear ... tough you say ... well, maybe, but more likely not. I know ... I can hear you all ... he's a grown man, he can take care of himself. But I tell you, I blew it ... because I did not anticipate my Rooster's needs. He takes care of me, he works UN-Godly hours - sometimes in excess of 90 hours, and not much less than 70 hour weeks, and affords me all the little niceties that this homeschooling mom of 5 thinks she needs ... to include this laptop that I am click, click, clicking on while I sit here all comfy in my chair. So, there we go ... me pouting - him fuming ... and then, I hear it ... the noise that sends chills up a mother's back. The sound of one of her babe's hurling their little guts all over the place ....

My precious G. Wolfie (undeserved gift #6), was leaning over the tub - the TOY tub that is ... hurling his guts all over every stuffed animal his precious sister, Baby Girl Peach (undeserved gift #8), loves to play with. **BIG SIGH** So, what do I do ... no ... I didn't handle that gift very well either ... instead comforting my hurling boy ... after I brusquely hurry him off to the bathroom to finish ... I growl unceremoniously at my husband about having to clean up that mess, too! So, needless to say ... by 4:30 am - I had very effectively wounded two very important people in my life.

The day did get better ... and I did apologize to both of them for being an evil wretched wench ... and both of them forgave me. One with hugs and kisses - and a promise that he preferred for me to spend his last day off with him instead of the washer or a trip to the laundry - and the other one came and gave me a big ole' kiss (yeah I'll probably be sick too - but hey, it is what I deserved after being so tacky to him - poor baby). So, as my day was getting better, and I was becoming human and less evil, I began to reflect on my morning ... and in turn that made me think of my precious gifts from God .... and that led to me thinking about the most precious gift of all from God ... my Salvation. Do I care for my Salvation the way that I cared for my other gifts from God??? ... WOW ... what an eye opener!! Most days I 'try' to care for my Salvation in the way that I know I should, but then there are the evil wretched wench days ... the days that I don't even LOOK at my Bible, pray - pray for what days, the days where I am so miserable that ... **PING** - light bulb moment ... the days that I shun God ... so that His grace can't shine down through my obviously lead umbrella. So, I thought about it ... what was the first thing I went to do yesterday morning ... ah, yes ... headed to the alter of the coffee pot ... instead of taking an extra second to lay there in my bed next to my awfully cuddly Rooster to talk to God about my day, I jumped up like my hair was on fire, ran to the coffee pot and started the day. Tsk, tsk, tsk ... needless to say, I am going to have to rethink my mornings ....

Now, don't get me wrong ... I do not worship my coffee ... coffee is just essential to make my body run.

My point is ... that "I" personally need to spend an extra few moments in my bed, in the quiet, talking with God before I rush out into the morning. And I need to remember this each and every day ... "there but for the grace of God go I"