an incredible gift...
Picture this. It’s Christmas morning, you’re sitting around the Christmas tree with your family opening presents, and you are handed this little box wrapped with the most beautiful ribbon. You open it and are pleasantly surprised to find an incredible gift inside. Not only is it something you’ve been wanting, it’s something you need and that you could use every day! It’s also something you could never buy yourself (and aren’t those the best kind of gifts?).
But then, days pass and you find yourself never touching it - never using it for its purpose. You just let it sit there and admire it from afar. Day after day, you acknowledge that it’s there for your use but you keep passing by it. Even though it would make your life better and easier, you instead choose to let it collect dust.
That would be ridiculous, right?
What if I told you we are doing just that with a God-given gift? I’m talking about the gift of grace. Something we could never earn but God gives us so freely. Something we need and desire, but often takes a little acknowledgement on our end to realize that it’s there.
there is grace...
Picture this. It’s Christmas morning, you’re sitting around the Christmas tree with your family opening presents, and you are handed this little box wrapped with the most beautiful ribbon. You open it and are pleasantly surprised to find an incredible gift inside. Not only is it something you’ve been wanting, it’s something you need and that you could use every day! It’s also something you could never buy yourself (and aren’t those the best kind of gifts?).
But then, days pass and you find yourself never touching it - never using it for its purpose. You just let it sit there and admire it from afar. Day after day, you acknowledge that it’s there for your use but you keep passing by it. Even though it would make your life better and easier, you instead choose to let it collect dust.
That would be ridiculous, right?
What if I told you we are doing just that with a God-given gift? I’m talking about the gift of grace. Something we could never earn but God gives us so freely. Something we need and desire, but often takes a little acknowledgement on our end to realize that it’s there.
His grace is sufficient...
Life is hard. Seasons can be tough. We go through things we wish we never had to. But we don’t face it alone. Our God is with us and has provided to us His grace. So every day we wake up, we can rest in His promise that we will be given grace for that day. He will meet us where we are and provide for us in ways we can’t even see. His grace is sufficient! And man, I am so thankful for that.
grace for us...
When things don’t go as planned and we feel like control is slipping through our fingertips, we can trust that the Lord sees the desires of our hearts. When heartache comes wave after wave like the ocean crashing onto the shore, we can rest in the promise that the Lord sees us and has not left our side. And when we feel our lives are coming up short and not meeting the expectations we have created for ourselves, we can rely on the Lord to provide grace for us. It may not look how we imagined, but He knows the desires of our hearts and He is merciful.
I want to challenge you to take a look around and see the evidence in your own life. All the things the Lord has blessed you with, that you don't deserve. That you couldn't have earned yourself. That He gifted you because He is a good father. Because He loves you deeply and extends grace in so many ways.
lean into Him...
Lean into Him. Allow His grace to cover you. Soak it in and become aware of it. Take joy in a Father who willingly gives it. Go to that corner where you have been storing the gift you’ve been given, dust it off, unwrap it, and let it change your life. The gift was given a long time ago. Now it’s our turn to use it.
So when life gets tough, and you need to raise your white flag, know there is grace.
Grace for you. Grace for me. Grace for us all. And His grace is sufficient.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)
cassidy mueting
Cassidy is a wife and mother who thrives off of developing personal connections with those around her. She finds joy in creating special moments, both at home and away on a getaway, for her family - appreciating the time she gets to spend alone with her loved ones. Cassidy pours her heart into weekly devotionals meant to inspire women of God. To subscribe to her email list, visit www.casssass.com.
Photos by Carly Kristin Photography. Headshot provided by Cassidy Mueting.