Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right? How about a week where nothing seems to be making sense? The last thing I ever want to use this blog for is as a place to lament personal woes, but it just seems as if a lot of stuff lately isn’t working out the way it should. If our family were to be put on TV representing some sort of litigation firm, we would definitely specialize in Murphy’s law as of late.

But even in the midst of this familial turmoil I have come to recognize that when I stand in need of Grace*, it is more than ample to get me through. God’s Grace is so much greater than anything that stands in my way and I find it so frustrating that it is only during times like these that I become aware of the greatness of Grace. But as I reflect more about this I realize that I am not in the worst company when I find myself standing in need of Grace. I think of Peter on the shore after his denial of Christ before his restoration. I think of Saul on a road to Damascus on his way to arrest those who belonged to “the way”. I think of Christ himself in the garden…clinging to the Grace that will carry him through the next 24 hours.

In all of these instances I see a common thread. Before we see God’s Grace in it’s fullest incarnation we are brought to a very low point. The apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 2:8-9 in regards to Christ, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…” And here is where the awesome part about Grace comes into play. After we have been brought low, Grace exalts us and lifts us up into the presence of God in a new and exciting way. Grace is that miracle by which we are brought up out of our circumstances and by which we realize God himself is walking with us in the midst of our dark circumstances. He is able to walk with us because He himself has been there and knows the Grace needed to be exalted from being brought low.

So I rejoice in frustration. I marvel at my frustrating experiences. True, they are not fun and I wish I never had to go through unpleasant things…but God’s Grace is greater and I marvel at it all the more.

* I will be capitalizing Grace in this post because of the extra need to emphasize it’s presence in my own life right now