Gift of Grace
By Jeannine Sawall
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 2:9
I was recently in a serious car accident and sustained injuries that have slowed life to a crawl. Lately, I have been very discouraged at the slowness of recovery. I have not been released to drive yet because I lack range of motion necessary for my head to turn to properly see oncoming cars from the right or left, or if I were to back up. If I sit too long, I'm in pain. My body is generally extremely tense from the shoulders up, causing headaches, and I'm totally fatigued by the end of the day. On top of that...it's the Christmas season and the mom who generally makes it happen is not herself. When I asked the doctor when I’d start to "feel normal," he said I would only get frustrated and discouraged if I thought in days or weeks. He said, “Look out a few months and think May.” ...MAY!?! Just shoot me now!!
I had to decide whom I was going to listen to. The nagging, feeling-sorry-for-myself, this-is-so-unfair voice, or the voice who says, “My grace is sufficient.” Instead of focusing on the hard and discouraging things, I needed to look at the positives. There was much to be thankful for. I ONLY have muscle injuries. I was alone in the car when I was hit, so no one else was injured. I walked out of the ER from an accident that totaled my car and turned a class 3 hitch 180 degrees and burst my spare tire. I AM mending (although, much slower than my impatient schedule would desire) and I have friends and family who are able to take me where I need to go.
No matter what our circumstances, God reminds us He will provide. I don’t think God willed the accident to happen, but He definitely did allow it. We may not always LIKE what God allows, but we are called to trust Him. We need to remember, He is in control of it all...our healing, our timeframe, our life and our salvation. He will provide and offer us the strength to go through anything He allows into our lives, because He provides us with His gift of grace.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Where in your life do you need the grace of God to provide for you in a struggle or difficulty?2. Whose voice do you listen to on a daily basis: your own or the voice of Truth?
FURTHER READING:
Hebrews 4:16; 2 Corinthians 9:8Jeannine is a wife and active mother of four boys. She works in property management and is a part of the Special Events team for Oakwood’s We Women ministries.
