From BLAH BLAH BLAH to Grateful in Grace

Do you ever get into a week, or a season, in which everything seems just so…. “BLAH!”? I want to be real in this space that we share online, so that means telling the truth throughout the lines that are posted here. So my answer is a frustrated “YES!”

Sometimes things seem dull and tired because nothing great, exciting, or fun is happening around us. Other times things seem forced- like we’re pushing a rope- and we become exhausted by all the effort that is affording us little, if any, reward. And there are days when things are frustrating because we are laboring and striving for many things and caring for many people and we wonder, “Am I making any significant progress or impact at all?” We ask this even though we feel like we are wringing ourselves out of every drop of love, compassion, and energy each day trying to be the women God has called us to be in our appointed time.

I know my own tendency is to get lost in the “Blah, Blah, Blah” of my own head. I forget to do that age-old, godly practice to “Count my blessings, name them one-by-one.” And in neglecting this practice and posture, I get whiny, cynical, depressed, and short sighted. When, really, there is a lot to be thankful for if I would just open my eyes to the graces all around me.

John 1:16 reads,

            ”And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

I love this verse. The picture painted here is that each of us are standing on the shore of God’s ocean of loving kindness, and wave upon wave upon wave of His grace washes over us, in an endless repeating motion.

When I am lost in my blasé perspective, I lose sight of the waves crashing in, dripping with mercy.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are exhorted to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Isn’t it interesting that in that word for “give thanks”- which is “Eucharisteo”- the very word we get for the Eucharist, is the New Testament word charis…GRACE.

As if the well from which we would draw out our thanks is the well of grace. The same ocean of grace we read about in John 1.

I thought it might be right for us, and liberating, if us girls spent some time over the next few weeks drawing from the rich resource of His grace to offer up our thanks. Each day we’ll post a “Grateful for Grace” prompt- through a verse, insight, perspective, or praise. Would you join me in choosing to move out of the BLAH BLAH BLAH that holds us down to being a woman who is grateful in grace?

I’d LOVE IT if you would post your own comments of gratitude here. Wouldn’t it be edifying if we joined all of our voices, albeit in the form of our keyboards, to count our many graces? I can’t wait to hear what things you’ll name and how it will help me to see His many graces poured out on each one of us! Shall we??