What does it mean to live a graceful life? I believe it is very difficult for any of us to truly comprehend how much grace God gives us on a daily basis. Try as we might, none of us will reach perfection in this lifetime. God is well aware of this fact. Still, we often berate ourselves, and other people, for falling short of our expectations. While sitting in church today, I listed to the pastor talk about cheap grace versus costly grace. He posed the question: what has your grace cost you? He explained that Jesus made it very clear following Him meant being willing to walk away from anything and everything we have in this world, including our husbands, wives, children, and possessions. When was the last time you really considered what you would be willing to walk away from for the sake of following Jesus?

The hardest thing for me to let go of is control. When something isn’t the way I want it to be, I struggle to be present and content with the reality of things. I am learning that to harbor worry and anxiety over something I cannot control is to be prideful. It is my humanity saying that I need to fix things, which is another way of saying I can’t, or won’t, trust God to fix them in His way and in His time. I am finding there is great peace in relinquishing control and putting my trust fully in the Lord.

I recently had a patient who was newly diagnosed with a serious illness. This diagnosis truly came out of the blue, and this person was completely blindsided. The day before Thanksgiving, we met in the office and went over the upcoming tests and plan for treatment. Before they left, I looked them in the eyes and told them that we have now done all we can possibly do. I told them that every step that can be taken at this point in time has been taken. I told them it was time to put it down and do whatever they could to get rest and enjoy the upcoming holiday. God brought the illness to light through a very unlikely avenue, and we all worked together to make every necessary arrangement to get treatment started as soon as possible. There was nothing more to be done except give it back to God and let Him handle all of the things we can’t. The answering hug and words of gratitude told me I had said what God needed me to say at the time He needed me to say it. That was, by far, one of the things I was most grateful for this year.

God gives me so much grace each and every day, it literally defies all reason. Yes, there is loss and suffering, but there is also joy and immeasurable blessings. We may want to be standing facing the East so we can enjoy the sunrise, but perhaps God needs us standing with our faces to the West so we can help pick up the person who fell because the sun was in their eyes. We will always know how we WANT things to be, and I have no doubt that, in His time, God will provide some form of what we want. However, we must first be willing to find contentment and trust that wherever we ARE is where God needs us to be, so we are able to DO what He needs us to do while we’re there.

Be present. Be at peace. Love each other. Be kind to each other. Do what you can do, and find a way to truly trust God to do the rest.