Surprised by Grace

It has been a busy week of travelling. In the past 24 hours alone I have spent 16 hours either on a bus, train or metro. I am not complaining, as the journey was so worth it, but I am exhausted. As I was riding home last night on the bus, the last 2 hours of my long journey, I began to reflect on all the ways that I experienced grace in the past week of my travels. Many of the ways were unexpected and even frustrating and it was only after the fact that I was able to see the grace in the situation. I reflect here, simply so that you too may stop in the midst of your busy day, even perhaps within the frustrations of plans gone awry and problems encountered, to seek the little cracks of grace that seem to work there way into our lives when we least expect it.

There is grace in…

Waiting for a bus to take me to the bus station that would never show up on time and having neighbors arrive at just the right moment to tell me that I was going to miss my bus to Rio- for they saved me from waiting even longer at the bus stop, getting even more frustrated, and suggested a plan of action- helped me figure out how to change my ticket so that I could catch a bus later that day.

Missing my bus and having to change my ticket to leave later that night- for it meant that I was able to rest at home instead of spending the entire day inside of a bus. It meant that I got to sleep overnight on the bus instead, and even got to sit in the very front row on top of a double decker bus and look out the window to watch miles of highway pass by me as I listened to Rubem Alves on my ipod, and dozed in and out of consciousness. It meant getting more exercise than I was expecting, as I had to go to two different terminals to actually change my ticket. It meant meeting an adorable little boy on the train who proudly showed off his English skills by repeating the words he knew- “fish! pig!”.  It meant that I got to have a wonderful skype conversation with my dad, which rarely happens just the two of us, and a skype conversation with my mom where she showed me the new outfits she got for her trip to New Orleans. It meant leaving (super early) to catch my new bus and encountering a friend who was also on their way to the bus terminal and offered to keep me company along the way. It meant getting to eat at subway for the first time since being in Brazil (man how I miss subway!)

There is grace in…

Encountering old friends like Kennie, whose laughter brings abundant joy to my heart and whose commitment to her call and to the kingdom of God is inspiring and gives me hope for the church, and especially for women in the church.

Seeing the bus you need pull off mere seconds before you arrive at the bus stop (do you see a pattern here?), having to wait 30 minutes for another bus, and even still arriving at the movies literally within 15 seconds of the opening credits rolling.

Seeing new ways of doing ministry and experiencing different ways of encountering God- even though they may seem foreign to me, they show me to never be content in putting God in a box.

After two days of beautiful sunshine, choosing the one rainy, overcast, chilly day to go to the beach and yet having the sun come out just long enough in the afternoon for you to enjoy an hour on the beach, but not be strong enough to get super burned.

There is grace in…

Finally catching the exact bus that never came last week at the beginning of my travels on my way to church yesterday…only to have it literally break down in the middle of the road and have to wait for another bus to come pick us up… because honestly, it just made me laugh. Seriously God?

Missing yet another bus (I swear I am not kidding…) within minutes on my way to church on Sunday (because of the first one breaking down)- for it meant that I was able to buy bread for a guy outside the convenient store on the corner.

Still arriving within plenty of time for church and being the only one there- for it allowed me to play music out loud and dance in the kitchen by myself, a moment of release that I was desperately needing.

Seeing children come into church and being able to give thanks for their lives in honor of National Children’s Day. Their smiles and laughter remind us all to take life a little less seriously and a little more gracefully.

Taking the risk to wait for the bus directly home at the Metro Station instead of having to catch 2 different trains, for it meant being able to give a tangerine to a woman who asked me for food, and the bus still only took 30 minutes (trust me- that’s not long at all) to arrive.

Arriving safely home after hours and hours of travel and truly appreciating the comfort of sleeping in your own bed.

For these moments of grace and so many others, unexpected, frustrating, and otherwise, I give you thanks God. May you continually keep my eyes open to see the cracks in my organized plans where your grace creeps in, and help me to keep dancing in the meantime…