sparrows and arrows

 Grace
In life we find ourselves faced with choices. Choices to obey, to pursue, to love, to forgive, and to show grace. As a Christian, these characteristics are part of who we are in Christ, but they don't just magically appear. We have to put these into practice. I have asked the Lord many times to give me an opportunity to practice grace, to show someone grace, and He provided. When my little sister came over and told me she was pregnant, I had a variety of emotions. Am i proud of most of them? No, not at all, I reacted out of the flesh, out of impulse reaction instead of surrendering everything to the one who surrendered everything for me. My heart broke into tiny pieces that day, not because my sister was expecting, but because of the circumstances surrounding this lil one and my sister's life. When I was sixteen I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, and my husband and I had to grow up in a certain matter of months, but my hubby stayed by my side the whole time. So I definitely understood where Allie was emotionally. Sadly, the father of my nephew hasn't stayed in the picture, and my sister made the most unselfish act when she decided to say goodbye to an abusive relationship and think of what was best for her son. Since then I have clinged to the various Scriptures in the Bible describing our God as a "Father to the fatherless." I pray these for my lil nephew and sister. Some of the most amazing, self-sacrificing, and loving people I know have come from a home with no earthly father. I wasn't happy about the situation at first, embarrassing to say I was a little emotional (partly because I am four weeks prego ahead of my sis) and because I was acting selfish. But God having great grace on me spoke into my heart, that in everything there is a blessing. Sometimes we have to dig around to find the blessing, much like a determined gardener who digs and digs until they find the best soil, but it is there. So I grabbed my shovel (bulldozer) and started digging, and you know what?-I found many blessings. Blessed to be pregnant at the same time as my lil sis, to walk with her through her stages of pregnancy and ease her mind from all her questions and concerns. After all this is her first and I am about to have my third, so I definitely have some answers! Blessed to show Allie the love of Christ by showering her and my lil nephew with love and grace. Blessed to be getting a nephew, who I know will be the apple of my sister's eye.  Blessed my son will have a cousin extremely close in age. Blessed beyond blessed that we have a Creator who blessed Allie with this new little life who I love so much already. So in learning to practice grace, we need to start digging out the blessings. So look at your circumstances, and grab whatever tool you think will get the job done, whether it be a shovel or bulldozer, and dig until you find the rich soil of a blessing from God.