Moments of Abundant Grace

Learning to find abundant grace in the reality of every day life... 

There is grace in...

Letting go of the fear that I am going to miss something if I don’t reflect on every experience, read every book that sounds interesting, or have have a conversation with every person who has an interesting story.

Living in the tension of being called to a place where I can’t fool myself into thinking I am perfect or in control.

A full nights rest...

Laughing until you cry, or crying until you laugh...

Not being able to speak either English or Portuguese well and in the process coming up with phrases like “rabid goose chase”.

Laughing at your own “lost in translation moments”...

Conversations with Haley in both English and Portuguese, processing everything that we can and sharing in our confusion, frustration and joys.

Skype conversations from home to remind you of who you are and how much you are loved when you begin to doubt yourself.

People making an effort to understand you even when you know you don’t sound intelligent and aren’t speaking correctly.

Bus rides with time to decompress.

Getting off the bus a stop early to be able to walk and breathe in fresh air.

An unexpected lunch invitation with delicious food.

People not correcting your Portuguese, especially when you already know that you are speaking incorrectly.

People correcting your Portuguese (in love)...

A car ride home so you don’t have to wait for a bus.

Re-encountering old friends.

Giving up today and trying again tomorrow.

Realizing you don’t have to be perfect.

Realizing that efficiency obviously means something completely different to God. 

Knowing there is more time later.

Knowing the story isn’t over. 

Getting lost in music and dancing when no one is watching...in your underwear (don’t judge). 

A song, scripture, or a conversation that hits you to your very core, making you realize 

that you are not the first nor the last person to find yourself in this particular situation or 

feeling that certain way.

Realizing that our very ability to love and live and breathe is a gift. 

May we all be capable of finding the little moments of extraordinary grace in the ordinary moments of life...