Grace enough...

There is grace enough for this. You have grace enough for this. For this social distancing. For this isolation. For 100% family time all the time. For being a “facilitator of education”. For each other. For being asked to give more of yourself than you think you have to give.

How do we even begin to list the ways we need grace right now?

Maybe what we don’t need is a list.

Maybe what we need is a definition. A place to begin….

Did you know Meriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has 8 definitions for the word grace? Some don’t apply: a musical trill, turn, or appoggiatura; or a title of address or reference for a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop. 

But some of them do apply to this COVID-19 season of self isolation we are in. Let's look at the ones that have something to teach us.

Grace: a charming or attractive trait or characteristic; a pleasing appearance or effect; ease and suppleness of movement or bearing.

              

Please excuse my lack of grace since I am no longer doing my hair or my makeup. Is this true for anyone else or it is just me?!

Grace: a sense of propriety or right. The quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful.

Please have the grace to obey our government’s requests and orders to stay at home right now.

There is grace for the different ways we approach this. One family may determine that take-out is too risky and another deems it safe. One family allows their children to play outside with other kids and another thinks it is too dangerous. We should have grace for these things. Our government and our base leadership have not asked us to give those things up (yet), so they have not determined either to be unsafe, yet we have different approaches. There is grace for this.

What ways are you seeing this type of grace? 

Grace: approval, favor, disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy or clemency; a temporary exemption.

I have a text thread with my neighbors right now so whenever someone is headed to the commissary, we check in to see if anyone else needs something. We are extending grace to each other.

              

Each morning I have a devotion time with my boys during breakfast and we pray we would have grace and kindness for one another through the day. Even though we homeschool, both boys had activities that took them outside the house and away from each other for hours every day. They no longer have that and it is a lot of together time! Most of you are experiencing a LOT more time together than you have ever had before. Do you have grace for one another?

              

One of my boys is an extrovert who wakes up with energy and ready to go complete with words and songs and noises. The other is an extreme introvert who prefers quiet. It takes quite a bit of grace for them to get through breakfast together! (Sometimes it takes a lot of my own grace or a quiet request of less extra noise if all this occurs before my morning coffee!) 

I bet you have similar situations and stories in your own homes. We have to have grace for each other’s different personalities and the ways we approach life. Even how much personal space we need!

No matter what your personal situation, if you are married, this whole thing has probably stretched your marriage in some way, too. For some of you, you are together 24/7. Maybe others of you are apart longer than you are used to. Either end of the spectrum requires extra grace for one another. How do you navigate that as a couple? In what way does your spouse need grace from you right now? 

Grace: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.

This is by far my favorite definition of grace! Do you know why? Because it reminds me I don’t have to do this alone. Re-read this: unmerited divine assistance given to humans. In non-dictionary terms, this simply means we don’t deserve it, but God doesn’t make us do this alone. In fact, according to this definition, grace is a trait that comes from God, not ourselves.

              

There is not a single piece of this season or situation that God does not know about and He stands ready to help. He knew it would be too much for us, but He isn’t asking us to do it alone.

              

Today was a hard day for me. I faced a mountain of grief over something our family is missing out on. And in spite of starting my day in Psalms and listening to worship music, my tears have not subsided. And you know what? There is grace for that. God has met me here in this place in some amazing ways! My sister called when I didn’t plan to talk to her because I knew I would just cry. And I did, but she was such an encouragement to me as she waited patiently for me to explain through the tears. A dear friend who often asks what she can pray for understood and placed value on my emotions even though she is facing something much more difficult. Another friend checked in and got the whole story only to text me back the most amazing, perfect-for-today prayer. My mom has checked in and prayed for me several times today and told me how amazing I am. I texted back that I don’t feel amazing, but am so thankful that she still thinks so. 

God was in each one of those encounters. Reminding me that I am not alone—not only has He shown Himself present with me, He has sent so many others to show me I have friends walking (figuratively) beside me as well.

              

There is grace for this. There is grace for the grief-filled days. There is grace for the joy-filled days. There is grace for every kind of day in between—the stressed days and the sleepy days and the I-am-a-rockstar-mom kind of days and the I-suck-at-everything kind of days. Even in your isolation, you are not alone. And there is grace enough to get you through this season.