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.