GRACEFUL vs GRACE-FULL

*picture has been blurred to protect what dignity I have left

Graceful vs Grace-FULL

All my life I wanted to be graceful. My dear mother put me in all kinds of dance lessons hoping my feet would learn to cooperate with the rest of my body. She even put  me in classes with a former Radio Music Hall Rockette as my instructor.  Poor woman. Much to my chagrin, my mother proudly displayed the pictures of her efforts. 

I learned to sit like a lady.  But my feet never liked to do much more than point and tap to the rhythm.  I preferred my piano, singing, softball and cheer-leading. To my Daddy's pleasure, and through his patient coaching, I could get my size 9's into a water ski boot and sail across the boat's wake full speed ahead as though I had wings.  But ballet? Me, a ballerina? Not so much. 

I actually tried ballet lessons once more as a senior in high school, hoping my body had matured enough to eventually audition for the Bolshoi Ballet. I could see it! The beautiful costumes, the wonderful music, the cute little hair buns with rhinestone tiaras, satiny slippers, and the ever appreciative audience.  Those glimpses of grandeur passed quickly as I pirouetted through the living room of my fiancé's home, and with one quick, not so graceful fling of my arm, proceeded to smack him right in the schnoz. I guess his nose wasn’t a good thing to “spot”.  Thankfully, he married me anyway!

Facing up to reality, I realized, I should probably hang up my tutu and let my dancing take place at the keyboard, where my fingers could be free with expression, but my feet would be planted firmly on the pedal and the ground and my arms controlling my hands, where they couldn't get in trouble.

Fast forward almost 40 years later and I realize the grace I was longing for wasn't the kind it takes to float across a well lit stage, but the kind that allows me to put one foot in front of the other on the stage of life. Daily, I fall, bump my proverbial noggin, point my toe in the wrong direction, and many times end up smacking someone in the heart. But, I am forever grateful that as I bow my knee, not to man, but to a most gracious Lord, He extends amazing grace, bandages my wounds, soothes my bruises, and reminds me of who I really am. We rise again together....until my next clumsy choice causes me to face plant once again. However, He never kicks me when I'm down, but places His hands under my chin and reminds me that He is "the glory and the lifter of my head".  I look into the eyes of Jesus and find forgiveness, victory, and restoration. 

It seems these cycles have thankfully become a little less frequent. But no matter how many times I take my eyes off of Him and pirouette aimlessly through my day, like a bull in a china shop, I find that same amazing grace with arms wide open to stabilize my mindless twirling and instead “shocks” me with his kindness, back into the rhythm of His gentle heartbeat where I find rest. He beckons, “Be still and know that I AM God”.

My prayer:  Oh Lord, help me to be grace-FULL to others! Especially to those I really would like to smack? 

Acts 3:19-21 (NLT)

"19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of The Lord..."

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
"8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

GRACE THAT IS GREATER 

Building 429

Search me O God
And know my every thought
Discern my every way
And speak into my soul
Point out to me my wrongs
Convict me until
I follow down the path
That leads me to your will

Because my heart
Sometimes can wander
And my faith at times can stray
But I know That when I fix my eyes on You
That I will always remain
Safe in the shadows of Your

Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that will pardon
And cleanse within
Grace, grace
God’s grace
Grace that is greater
Than all my sin