Give a Little Grace
I recently had a birthday, and my husband and kids asked me for some gift ideas. I truly could not think of a specific thing I’d been longing for, so I created a list of some interesting things in our shared Amazon account for them to choose from. Good news! I was happy to open a bamboo Ziploc organizer. Hahaha! Grown-up gifts are so boring.
When I was younger, my wish list was endless. Nothing will ever compete with December of 1983 and my longing for a Cabbage Patch Kid! Just like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, my constant daydreams were all about this wanted treasure.
I’m happy to say that my blonde, pigtailed doll was under the tree that year. Her birth certificate included the most beautiful name—Dawn Rhonda. I loved, nurtured, and carried her everywhere. She even had a special bed tucked safely in my closet.
Fast forward three months…my family moved, and then we were all hit with a horrible stomach virus. My younger brother, who had yet to remember the layout of our new home, dashed to “toss his cookies” in the middle of the night in what he thought was the bathroom. You can guess exactly where the contents of his stomach landed—yep, right on Dawn Rhonda’s beautiful little body.
What is the purpose of this silly doll story? Well, that was the year that I learned what grace was. Did my brother’s nighttime mistake forever taint my doll with a putrid stench? Yep. Did I hold his vomit folly against him? Maybe for a few days, but it was short-lived. Did I forgive him? Yep. Do we laugh about it 40 years later? You betcha!!!
That’s only fair, right? Thankfully, God has a better offering. Jesus was wrapped in grace from the time he was in the stinky manger to his death on the rugged cross.
- You will have the opportunity to show grace time and time again to your spouse because they’re human and will be feeling many mixed emotions.
- Extending grace and unconditional love to your spouse will create a beautiful atmosphere in your home and will be an example to many.
- I will keep any newly acquired treasures far from my brother and his rumbly tummy.
