Cease striving and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10   [home]  [encouragement]  [endorsements]  [my book table]  [In the Pit]  [Guess Who's Special]  [contact] Encouragement For Today Grace is something we all desire, but few of us really understand. God taught me a wonderful lesson about grace through my first car accident. I was sixteen and seated proudly behind the wheel of my father’s brand new Cadillac convertible. I had just received my license and was ready to drive my mom to the store for the first time. The car had a spotless white top, and a finish of metallic turquoise with flecks of silver that sparkled in the sun. It was beautiful. With Mom in the passenger sear, I drove to the end of the block. Stopping, I looked carefully before making a right-hand turn. At the height of the turn, the driver’s door flew open. While I reached with my left hand to close it, my right hand held the steering wheel pulled all the way over, continuing the turn. The car ran over a sidewalk and through a chain link fence. You could hear metal screeching against metal as the fence lifted and tore deep scratches across the hood like giant fingernails. Fabric ripped as the fence continued over the convertible top, then metal squealed again as it came down over the trunk. Paralyzed, I stared straight ahead as the car moved forward. We were inches from our neighbor’s dining room window when my mother, using her most authoritarian voice, commanded, Nancy LoRayne - You stop this car! After the police filled out their reports, we returned home. Mom sent me in alone to talk to my father. As I approached our front door, I felt as though I were on death row and taking that final walk. He would be waiting on the other side and I was guilty without excuse. The accident didn’t even involve another car. It was wholly my fault. What could I say? I opened the door, and as I went in the house I began to cry. Dad looked up from the newspaper and asked what was wrong. With tears and sobs, I blurted it out. I had a wreck. I will never forget what happened next. Dad was on his feet in an instant and I was in his arms. Are you all right? That was all he cared about. He never even asked about the car. It was enough that I was safe. It’s like that with God’s grace. He really doesn’t care what happened along the way, as long as we’re safe with Him now. Our walk with Him must be one of faith. He does not require that we always understand what He is doing, only that we trust Him to carry us through the experience. He always has our best interests at heart. When we insist on trying a little harder and struggling a little more to make ourselves worthy. When we choose to listen to the Liar instead of the Truth. When we refuse to believe that He is all we need; and even when we decide we’d rather go back to Egypt instead of allowing Him to lead us into the Promised Land. Even then, His grace continues. He is always there for His children. Psalm 103:14 reads; For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust. God created us. He knows we are only human and that sometimes we fail. He understands that we are not always as faithful as we want to be; and He has promised that we can always return and have our hearts healed. He is the Author and Perfecter of faith, (Hebrews 12:2). We can trust Him. He is not only our Father but also our Redeemer and Friend. *** Taken from - In The Pit: Testimonies of God's Faithfulness to a Bi-polar Christian, by Nancy Hagerman. *** [home]  [encouragement]  [endorsements]  [my book table]  [In the Pit]  [Guess Who's Special]  [contact] Tuesday, May 20, 2008 © 2008  all rights reserved All words and photographs on this page and any of the same  domain linking pages are protected under US and international  copyright laws and may not be copied, stored or offered for sale without written permission from the owner unless stated otherwise.