Cranky Grace

There are times when I've been around people who just are cranky at the time. Anything you do won't change that, especially trying to explain the logic about whatever they are currently upset about. Once I realize that, I have to say a Brief Prayer for Cranky Grace. 

I could argue with a person that's cranky until the cows come home, but that is counterproductive and isn't what Christ wants of me. When I say the Brief Prayer for Cranky Grace, I am letting go of my need to fix the situation. Instead the grace that Christ gives me allows me to be gracious and open to be supportive of that person in the ways that only Christ knows are needed for any particular person.

I wish I could say that I do this all the time, but the more I do it, the less I am doing things that undermine what Christ wants. Additionally, I have to remember that there are times that, I, too am cranky, especially when I'm low blood pressure! If I want others to be supportive of me and not take it personally, I should do the same for them!

Want to Do Something Else Grace

Yesterday, I mentioned to my husband that I was really looking forward to today, because I could spend a large chunk of time posting on the blogs. [I planned to wear my comfy clothes, because I didn't plan to go out today. I don't often have days like this where I can really just relax and do what gives me pleasure, although I didn't tell him all of this.]

Today, my husband told me that he wants me to do go do this and that with him. I was starting to get frustrated with him for taking a big chunk of my time when I said the brief prayer: Want to Do Something Else Grace. When things arise and so does my frustration, there isn't always enough time to say an elaborate prayer, explaining why I need Christ's Grace at the time. Fortunately for me, Christ sees what's causing me frustration and grants His grace when I pray brief prayers like this. He knows that I am asking for Him to grant me grace, so I can be gracious as an example of how He works in my life, rather than spout off in return.

This is especially significant, because while I was typing the previous paragraph, my husband called and told me that he wants me to go do one more thing with him. I quickly remembered that I had just prayed for Want to Do Something Else Grace and was calmed by it. I realize that my husband forgot all about my saying how much I was looking forward to today, so I had plenty of time to work on the blogs. Fortunately, this will get completed, but some of my other posts may have to wait until another time. I don't mind as much, because when I forget to ask for Christ's Grace, I usually end up feeling guilty for sharing how frustrated I am with my husband. It doesn't make me feel any better and only makes him feel worse. Christ's Grace gets me through those times where words are better off not being expressed!

P.S. I had to come back and add this. Having been given Christ's Grace in this situation has had far reaching ramifications. Not only did it keep from developing an uncomfortable situation, but it gave me a greater sense of appreciation for my husband. Although I had other plans, this made me realize that I am truly blessed to have a husband who wants to include me in the things he does! 

Dueling Conversations Grace

I wish I could say this is the only time this has happened, but it happens somewhat regularly. I will be in a confined space talking to someone on my cell phone and someone else will make a call knowing that. It's frustrating at the very least, because it's difficult for me to focus on my conversation with someone else having their own in such close proximity.

It feels rude to me that the other person chooses to make calls when I'm already on the phone and I sometimes want to say so. Instead, thanks to what Christ has shown me in these brief prayers, I ask for Grace related to the two phone conversations at the same time. In the future I will ask for Dueling Conversations Grace. It keeps me from saying something I might regret.

Controlling Grace

There have been times in my life when someone else has tried to control my actions, what I say, think or do over the years. It doesn't matter whether it's in a social setting, at work, a family situation, or something totally different.

Recently, someone jumped on my case for talking to someone else. They thought I was going against their explicit instructions to not get involved in a matter. Since someone was in need, I still felt led to try to help out on some level and made arrangements to do so, which irritated the controlling person.

The controlling person conveyed less than kind things to me and my first instinct was to say exactly what I thought and put them in their place. I prayed for Controlling Grace, although I reluctantly accepted it. My urge was to respond back in kind, but then, I wouldn't have been an example of Christ's Grace in my life. After praying for it several more times, I was finally able to relinquish the anger that welled within me and let go of the situation. 

Shower Grace

Well, about a month ago, we went to visit a family member and stayed in the hotel. When I went to turn the shower on to warm the water, it sprayed right in my face! I was drenched from head to toe! I wanted to yell, but what would that solve?

Fortunately for my husband's poor ears, I prayed for Shower Grace and instead of being fit to be tied as I stood there dripping, I prayed for the person who had played the prank. I prayed for them to come to know Christ and to be open to leading the life that Christ wanted them to live. After I prayed for that person, my attitude was much more gracious and I was no longer angry.

Ranting Grace

I was talking to someone who was ranting on and on and on! The person really needed to be able to unload all of this, but it seemed to keep going on. I wanted to interject my perspective, but the person didn't really want that. 

After a while with no end in sight, I prayed for Ranting Grace, where Christ allowed me to be gracious and just listen without mentally watching the clock. I was able to be more of a support to this person afterwards.

Late Night Grace

There have been several times when I've already said that I am exhausted and can't wait to go to sleep that my dear husband decides he wants to talk about this that or the other thing. I try to be patient, because I know what it's like to want to share something with your partner. Inevitably, it goes on to the point that I want to say that I already said I was so exhausted and wish we could go to sleep, but that would hurt his feelings. (I can't tell you that I haven't said this before. That's how I know it hurts his feelings.) 

Anyway, since I've been doing these brief prayers, I prayed for Late Night Grace, and you know what? All of a sudden the conversations didn't bother me as much, I didn't feel as exhausted as I once did, and Christ made it possible so that I didn't say something that could hurt my husbands feelings. Yeah!

Sarcasm Grace

I was recently talking to someone who kept being contrary. After a while, I found that I started giving sarcastic replies. I realized I need to pray for grace and asked for Sarcasm Grace.

It's not about me trying to prove that the other person's interactions were inappropriate or not. It's about how I respond to others and if that's the way that Christ would want me to respond, regardless of how anyone else is acting.

Once I prayed for the Sarcasm Grace, Christ allowed that calm to settle in, and I no longer used sarcasm. I tried to focus more on how the other person was feeling and tried to be more supportive of them.

Death Grace

Someone I knew recently passed away. Some of our interactions hadn't always been as friendly as I would like them to have been. When the person passed, some of these negative experiences popped into my mind, but I really wanted to focus on the good times we had.

Having been saying these brief prayers for a few months now, I asked for Death Grace. What I was doing in that brief prayer was asking Christ to heal those negative memories about that person, to be able to totally focus on the more positive interactions we had.

It may sound like such a minor thing to some, but it has been a true blessing! Now, I can grieve the loss of this person, who I loved dearly. It also helped me to realize that when people aren't well, they sometimes act in different ways than they normally would have. I will really miss this person and am now freed up to truly focus on the ways that this person positively impacted my life!

Sneezing Grace

I know this one sounds silly, but it's not as silly as you think. Someone that I know has such a loud sneeze that it hurts my ears! It's almost like that extraordinarily loud sneeze creates suction in my ears and causes a slight, temporary pain.

When this happens, I always want to get upset with the person who sneezes. I don't, because there's nothing that they can do about it. Instead, I just grit my teeth and get frustrated with that person. Even though that person doesn't know I'm upset by their loud sneezes, God doesn't like that anger in our hearts!

Today, I tried something different. I've been trying to use brief prayers in my daily life to be more gracious to others. I decided to use a brief prayer instead of gritting my teeth. I asked for Sneezing Grace and you know what? As soon as I prayed for it, the excessively loud sneeze didn't bother me. Pretty amazing, if you ask me!

Traffic Grace

I was recently in the car with someone who doesn't regularly drive in this particular larger city. They were frustrated and their choice of words indicated that. During that period, this person's frustration sometimes carried over to how they talked to me. I kept praying and praying for Traffic Grace.  I didn't want to respond in kind.

Additionally, I knew that when I get lost while I'm driving, it makes me very tense and I'm not always at my best. So, I kept praying for Traffic Grace, trying to be gracious, which in this case had more to do with just being quiet and not responding back to the things said.

All in all, it made such a major difference. In listening to that person's comments later on, they said that they had a fun time. If I had used sassy responses when they were upset earlier, I don't think they would have enjoyed the rest of the time together. I am learning so much about turning things like this over to Christ's very capable hands. The big thing is remembering to do it before I respond and not after! 
 

Jewelry Grace Reprieve

This is the day that my rings were scheduled to return from the jewelers. I called the jewelry store today to see if my rings were in. I have a warranty where they will check the prongs, which have broken from time to time. When I originally went to drop off my rings, I also took a watch of my dad's for them to repair. I got a call about a week later, saying that because of the watch's age, they were unable to repair it. They said they would leave the watch there until I picked up my rings when they returned.

The sales person on the phone told me the rings weren't in. I mentioned my dad's watch and  she said it wasn't in either. I tried to explain that it should be there, because they were leaving the watch there until I picked up my rings. She was frustrated with me when I asked her to check to see if she could find my dad's watch. She asked me to hold while she looked for it, and then she hung up on me. I was not a happy camper at that point, but didn't like how tense I was feeling. In prayerfully contemplating what had transpired, I realized I should have asked for Jewelry Grace. I knew my voice conveyed my tension when she said my dad's watch wasn't in. I wasn't gracious, nor was I being an example of how Christ works in my life.

About three hours later, the sales person called back and said something about being disconnected. I know she had hung up on me, but I didn't comment about it, nor did I feel that tension. She said that Dad's watch was there and someone would call when my rings arrived. In prayerfully contemplating this conversation, I realized when I acknowledged to Christ that I should have asked for Jewelry Grace, He gave me a reprieve where I got to have a much less tense conversation with the sales person. I felt much better about it and about myself as a Christian. I don't like it when I'm less than gracious, regardless of the other person's actions!

Text Grace

I find myself getting frustrated when interacting with others through texts. I have a flip phone, by choice, so it takes me a long time to push all the keys to get to the right ones to spell out the words I'm using. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to key a text and a half. So, why do I do it if it frustrates me? Well, I found that many will read a text instead of an email. Also, it's handy, because I don't always have access to email.

I have found that several of those with whom I interact by texting, only read a little bit of the text before responding. It is very obvious in their reply, that they didn't read the things that I had so painstakingly keyed in to give them all the information they needed.

I will quite often find out the responses have little to do with what the message was about, because they've assumed they already know the text's contents. Today, I asked for Text Grace when getting a reply back from someone who gave an answer that was only somewhat related to my original text. I often get very frustrated, but this time Christ gave me a calm feeling to replace the tension. I did have to pray for grace a couple of times, throughout the interaction, but it did make a major difference which allowed me to be more gracious when I finally talked with that person by phone.

Just a Minute Grace

I wanted to walk this morning with my husband, before I added some new posts. My husband said, "Just a Minute." I started a project, because I didn't want get on the blog and have to get off in the middle of a post. 

After I finished that project, I asked about going for a walk. He said, "Just a minute, I have to eat first." That's understandable. I hadn't eaten yet, so I made my breakfast.

After I finished with that, I went to find out where he was. He was on the computer and was talking on the phone. I waited until he appeared to be on hold asked him if he planned to go walk, because I could just go by myself. He said, "Just a minute. I need to finish this call." I unloaded the dishwasher.

I went back and he was still on the computer and my response wasn't as patient and supportive as I wished. I started praying for Just a Minute Grace. After praying for it a few times, because sometimes it's easy to get caught up in feeling frustrated, the calm feeling that Christ gives enveloped me, so that my responses were much more supportive. My husband and I did have our walk and it was much more pleasant than if I had still be frustrated over the "Just a Minutes." Fortunately, Christ healed that and allowed me to be more gracious.

Hateful Grace

I was in a big group of people recently. Someone I was talking to wanted to say something to my husband. I turned around quickly and went to get him. When I passed a woman in my haste, her eyes opened wide. Thinking of her reaction, I came back and apologized, jokingly saying that I wasn't going to knock her down.

I was surprised to not see a smile on her face, but saw a scowl instead when she sternly said that if I had knocked her down, she would most definitely knock me down. I tried to play it off as a joke, but she wasn't joking. Her body was tense and she said it hatefully. Nothing I could do at that point was making a difference, so I prayed for Hateful Grace. I prayed it over and over again for that lady. I felt that if she was so angry and hateful, other things must be going on in her life to cause it. I prayed that God would heal her heart, heal her hate, her anger, etc.

I can't totally know this happened, but I know my Lord and He can do anything. It was much better for me to pray for her than for me to join in with an equally hateful response.

Low Blood Sugar Grace

I was trying to show someone younger how to do an art activity from an art book for kids. They didn't want to do the activity as presented. Of course, that's understandable, but I was trying to show the child how to use the techniques in the book. The child was frustrated and wanted to do it their own way and really didn't want to hear anything about it. 

I must have been low blood sugar, because I was feeling frustrated, because I couldn't show him how to do the techniques. The more I tried to explain that he could do his own thing after I showed him the technique, the worse it got. I started praying for Low Blood Sugar Grace, so I could handle this situation graciously and not in a frustrated manner.

I had to pray for it quite a few times, before that calm feeling settled in. Later, I prayerfully considered why it took so long before it did. Then, the idea was in my mind that Satan loves it when Christians get frustrated and respond impatiently. It's one way he can work a wedge in their relationship with Christ and with others. So, I realized that Satan doesn't let go easily and persists, hoping we will continue making poor choices. That's even more reason to repeatedly ask for Christ's Grace in Situations.

GPS Grace

We were supposed to stop by a town to pick up a crib for my grand-daughter's new baby.  Unfortunately, we didn't exactly know where the house was located, although we had the address. When we stopped in a subdivision to get directions, I asked if I could put in the GPS.

When we stopped at a business on the side of the road to get directions, I asked if I could put in the GPS. When we stopped and asked two more people for directions, I asked Christ for GPS Grace, stopped being so frustrated, put it in and didn't gloat when we found the location of the baby crib.

Having Christ's grace is not about being right. It's more about about asking Christ to calm me down when I could be frustrated, allowing me to be gracious to others involved. This removes any tensions, any I told you so's and it maintains the dignity of all involved.

Christ's Grace

As I continue to find out more about asking for Christ's Grace, I realize that this grace isn't something you just pray for once and you have it all the time. I have to pray each time I'm in the midst of a situation, so that Christ can heal me of that need of proving my point, being heard, or having my ideas acknowledged. 

Most of the time, when I've stubbornly pushed ahead to prove my point, to be heard, or have my ideas acknowledged, it was counter-productive and was a hollow victory. I would much rather be healed of the need to prove these things and the willingness to be gracious instead. 

Contagious Grace

Although I didn't pray for Contagious Grace, Christ allowed me to see the benefits of it anyway. Since Christ showed me the benefits of saying brief prayers asking for grace when I'm in the midst of a situation, so that I might be more gracious, I've noticed a change. It seems like my husband is happier and much more light-hearted. 

So, I've tried to prayerfully contemplate this special blessing. I think that when I ask for Christ's grace during times of tension, I'm not responding in turn out of frustration and letting lots more things go. I think this has had a positive effect on my husband which is wonderful!!!
 

Interruption Grace

I was trying to have a conversation with someone recently. They kept interrupting me, because they figured they knew exactly what I was going to say long before I said it. Unfortunately, I didn't ask for Interruption Grace when I should have. If I had, I wouldn't have argued with the person explaining that they didn't know what I was saying. I would have let it go long before the fourth and fifth times of trying to tell them what I really was trying to say.

In trying to be more gracious, it's not about proving who is right, it's about letting go of situations, even if I am in the right, and try to become a better example of Christ's positive effect on my life. As it turned out, I'm not sure the other person ever heard me clarify what I was trying to say. It wasn't worth the tension that existed in the conversation and it made me a poor example of my faith.

Backsliding Grace

I spent some time realizing that I've gotten frustrated quite a few times this weekend. Of course, my sinful human nature tells me that I was justified in being frustrated, but that's not what being gracious is about.

In my intro to this blog, I said that the grandmother asked her grand-daughter if she was gracious to the teacher, even thought the teacher had wrongly marked the child's paper. So, even if I was justified in human terms for being frustrated, I'm not being gracious when I hold on to that frustration.

After Christ had me realize this today, I prayed for Backsliding Grace. I needed Christ's grace in helping heal my frustrations, so that I could be open to being gracious and overlook the things that frustrated me in the first place. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to get to the point where I was willing to turn this over, but once I genuinely did, Christ allowed me the grace to be gracious!

Candy Grace

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 

 We were given a bunch of chocolate candy. Neither my husband nor I eat it. He had one idea of what to do with it, but I had another. I begged him not to give it away, because I wanted to use it on thank you notes to the staff in the Veteran's Home where my dad resides. 

It was the next day that I found him putting the candy into little boxes to give away to people. I found myself getting very agitated, because it felt as if he had disregarded my request to give it to the Veteran's Home Staff. I was about to say some angry things and said more than I am proud of, when I asked God for "Candy Grace." I was wanting Christ to give me grace in this situation with the candy, so that I would be more gracious toward him and didn't say angry things to my husband.

Shortly after that, I felt much calmer and talked with my husband about it. He had forgotten the conversation we had earlier about the candy. Additionally, I realized there was probably enough candy for him to give to the people he wanted and I would still have enough to do what I wanted. When I get frustrated, I don't always think as clearly through these things as I would hope. Fortunately for me, Christ allowed for me to be more gracious than my original words and to have better insight on this matter. I am truly blessed for a Lord that looks after me even when I want to blurt things out!!! 

Walking Grace

That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:21

It seems that when I walk with my husband, he lags behind and I have to keep stopping to catch up. Sometimes I get frustrated with having to do this several times, especially when we are in a hurry. I think it's because that I know he can walk faster and sometimes he leaves me behind in the dust.

Anyway, this one day it was getting on my nerves and I was afraid I might say something sarcastic, when it popped in to my heart to say, "Walking Grace." Basically, I'm praying and telling Christ that I'm afraid I might say something I could regret and please give me grace about his walking behind. Well, again, Christ gave me a calm feeling, so that it no longer bothered me. It's not that my husband started walking faster when I prayed this, it's just that God's giving me grace in this situation allowed me to be more gracious and tolerant with my husband. I'm not sure I thanked Christ that time, but it is very important to do so!

 

Technology Grace

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Romans 5: 15

Sometimes I get a big head and think I can handle most technology things that cross my plate, but I was very much mistaken today! I was trying to create this blog for readers to see how amazing these Brief Prayers are, while trying to customize it at the same time.

Unfortunately, I spent many hours trying to figure out how to format things exactly the way I wanted, while being frustrated with myself, all the while. I finally decided to use the Brief Prayer and said, "Technology Grace."  Basically, it's my saying to Christ that I'm frustrated with the technology I couldn't figure out, please give me grace with it, so I don't blow a gasket! 

Before I knew it, I was feeling calmer and things started falling into place much easier. Actually, it wasn't that difficult to access the formatting I needed, but I had been too prideful to ask God for help. Once I did, things went smoothly. A big thing I haven't mentioned so far is it's important to thank Christ for giving us this grace!

Noise Grace

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Acts 20:32

I was with someone who has been in a lot of pain for some time. They take medications for this pain, but it doesn't seem to always be enough. I know it sounds silly, but the noises, grunts, and groans they made got on my nerves.

Since it worked when I prayed, "Popcorn Grace," at an earlier time, I decided to pray "Noise Grace." Christ knew in that brief prayer that I was asking Him to give me grace with the noise the person made, so that I could be more gracious to them and not respond in an irritated manner. All of a sudden, I felt calmer and the noises that this person made didn't seem to bother me so much. Christ made me a better example of how He works in my life and can do it for you, too!

Popcorn Grace

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 15: 11 

I was with someone who was scooping up some free popcorn. They didn't ask me if I wanted any. The person told me that I should get a bag of popcorn and then took it from my hands. They wanted me to get the popcorn for them to eat later. 

It's such a silly thing, but it really did irritate me. Didn't that person think about whether I wanted some or not? Couldn't they have asked me if I wanted some before they took it from my hands? I found myself getting frustrated at that person. Then, it popped into my mind that that's not what Christ wants of me. He wants me to be gracious to those who irritate me, but I was too frustrated to be gracious at that moment.

What I prayed was, "Popcorn Grace," and immediately Christ calmed me down, so that I didn't respond to the person in a less than positive manner.   Although the "Popcorn Grace" prayer was very brief, I was asking Christ to please give me grace with this popcorn situation, so I would respond in a gracious manner, and He did! It amazed me that He knew and understood my brief prayer and granted me that grace, so I could be more gracious as an example of how He works in my life! I have continued to use these brief prayers which are changing my life and my response to others. If Christ can do this for me, He can most certainly do it for you, as well. Try it...what can it hurt?