Give me grace

"The only thing left to do is worship Him." A few days before Christmas, I listened to the voice of wisdom pour over me through the lense of another's struggle...a sister in Christ a season ahead who has known suffering in her days yet who has grafted deep roots into the Vine finding overwhelming joy....a sister who chose refinement instead of isolation in the hard face of pain....a sister who allowed her "lot" to shape her into a trumpet sounding His glory...blasts to the Kingdom calling others to the march... As her words washed over me, a momentary fear choked my throat while an eager anticipation caused my skin to tingle....Lord, if I love you this much, there will most certainly be suffering...Lord, give me grace for it....Lord, do I love you as much as I claim to?....only suffering will prove....Lord, give me grace for my failing heart.... In that moment, grace was before me....grace was not just the unmeritted mercy of our loving God by sending His Son....it was a force, living and active in her....it was the peace of humility where raw emotions are rooted in surety....the surety of faith, hope, and love...the free gifts He gives us when we faithfully claim our inheritance as we trust in love that His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither His ways are our ways...a surety that transforms us into an instrument heralding eternity...eternity worshiping Him, and by the grace-filled gift of the Spirit we have glimpses of eternity NOW....yes, through the priviliege of worshiping Him. During advent, He kept calling me back to a favorite picture from the fall. I was running one day listening to praise music when I passed a beautiful tree of gold. As its heavy-laden limbs dipped down and offered its leaves to the earth, it had created a cocoon of gold. I could not wait for all the kids to get home from school, so they could see it....God calling out to us from His creation....a picture of what eternity might look like....the streets of gold in the New Jerusalem....we danced and laughed...time stopped for a moment engraving a memorial on my heart....as my dear three outgrow the "protective" cocoon with me in the toddler years, and I give them over more and more to the path leading to eternity He has paved for them, may He give me the grace as the stretch marks of my heart increase to remember this picture of hope and may these wise words ring true to the ears of my heart...."the only thing left to do is to worship Him"...the only thing left, and the greatest....let us fix our eyes on Jesus in worship as He reassures us the pain of this world will be but a moment for He is the Everlasting....Lord, give me grace....Lord, give me grace "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the works of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I life up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge! Teach me to do your will, for you are MY God! Let your good Spirit lead me to level ground! For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and, you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am YOUR servant." Psalm 143