We all need the grace of God. Grace is technically defined as “unmerited favor”. Some choose to describe God’s grace as an acrostic:
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
I simply refer to grace as the “stuff God gives whenever you need it, even though you don’t deserve it.”
I’ve been in Memphis, Tennessee all week for a brief visit with my parents and to attend my niece’s wedding. I chose to come to Memphis making use of my frequent flyer miles. So, because of the way they limit seats when you try to fly free I had to go from Seattle to Las Vegas, to Detroit and then to Memphis. I left Seattle at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Memphis at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
I just returned from a quick trip to South Africa and was not really looking forward to another long and crazy flight. In Detroit the plane had mechanical difficulty; we sat for an hour in the plane before they decided to put us on a different plane. When I arrived I discovered that the airline had lost my luggage. I was confident that the bag would show later in the day so no problem. I got to my parents house and their hot water heater went out. The repairman was on his way so no problem.
The short of the week was that my luggage has been lost for good, including my suit for the wedding and the hot water heater had a broken part that had to be ordered; translated, no hot shower for a week.
Meanwhile, my brother in law who is a minister and doing half of the wedding (I’m doing the other half) developed two herniated discs in his back, is in a great deal of pain and has necessitated that I prepare to do his part as well as mine in case he can’t stand up.
My mother who is mostly homebound was coaxed into getting out and going to a restaurant for dinner on Thursday. We were all very excited because this rarely happens. At the restaurant our waitress dropped seven large drinks just as she approached our table, splashing my mother and the food was served cold and had to be taken back.
Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, a florist oversight has several people scrambling.
I share this entire saga to say that I’ve had a great visit with good connection with my parents and my in-laws. My niece is one of the finest young ladies I’ve ever known and she is marrying a young man equally as special as she. With every inconvenience or problem God’s presence has been rich and manifest. I’ve known peace, patience, love and joy which are great gifts (undeserved) from God. I’ve got a new suit and a wedding message prepared and I’m looking forward to the wedding of this wonderful couple.
I plan to return to Seattle on Sunday. We’ll see what adventures await in the return journey.
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
I simply refer to grace as the “stuff God gives whenever you need it, even though you don’t deserve it.”
I’ve been in Memphis, Tennessee all week for a brief visit with my parents and to attend my niece’s wedding. I chose to come to Memphis making use of my frequent flyer miles. So, because of the way they limit seats when you try to fly free I had to go from Seattle to Las Vegas, to Detroit and then to Memphis. I left Seattle at 6:30 p.m. on Monday and arrived in Memphis at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
I just returned from a quick trip to South Africa and was not really looking forward to another long and crazy flight. In Detroit the plane had mechanical difficulty; we sat for an hour in the plane before they decided to put us on a different plane. When I arrived I discovered that the airline had lost my luggage. I was confident that the bag would show later in the day so no problem. I got to my parents house and their hot water heater went out. The repairman was on his way so no problem.
The short of the week was that my luggage has been lost for good, including my suit for the wedding and the hot water heater had a broken part that had to be ordered; translated, no hot shower for a week.
Meanwhile, my brother in law who is a minister and doing half of the wedding (I’m doing the other half) developed two herniated discs in his back, is in a great deal of pain and has necessitated that I prepare to do his part as well as mine in case he can’t stand up.
My mother who is mostly homebound was coaxed into getting out and going to a restaurant for dinner on Thursday. We were all very excited because this rarely happens. At the restaurant our waitress dropped seven large drinks just as she approached our table, splashing my mother and the food was served cold and had to be taken back.
Saturday morning, the day of the wedding, a florist oversight has several people scrambling.
I share this entire saga to say that I’ve had a great visit with good connection with my parents and my in-laws. My niece is one of the finest young ladies I’ve ever known and she is marrying a young man equally as special as she. With every inconvenience or problem God’s presence has been rich and manifest. I’ve known peace, patience, love and joy which are great gifts (undeserved) from God. I’ve got a new suit and a wedding message prepared and I’m looking forward to the wedding of this wonderful couple.
I plan to return to Seattle on Sunday. We’ll see what adventures await in the return journey.
3 comments:
Ugh......You can ONLY laugh when "stuff" piles up like that! And yes, it is GRACE that helps you let go, and laugh!!!! Too bad a lot of grace-filled moments happen unexpectedly. I wish we could get them when we want, but then, when we NEED them, are we looking for them? Are we looking towards God? I am SO glad that your niece is SO wonderful! Love pushes through the "icky" stuff! Hope your trip back is uneventful -or at least your luggage follows you home! Miss you! LISA
For crying out loud, Scott! What a trip! I hope the wedding itself, and your return was less "eventful" than the rest of your trip! You'll be glad to know that Randy Phillips did a great job in your absence, but it will be a blessing to have you back!
UPDATE:
Believe it or not, I brought back to Seattle my son's golf clubs as a favor. Yes, the golf clubs didn't arrive in Seattle when I did. However, they were found and I received them 24 hours later.
What's with the airlines these days :)
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