tragic

It's amazing how much life can change in just a few short hours...

grace

"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith--and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:8-10

I've had this verse memorized for about 6 years now. I learned a song that was written with it as lyrics and it's tune is forever burned in my mind. Despite having these words float around in my mind for so long, I'd really never taken much time to ponder them deeply.

I had a conversation with a dear friend lately who has recently been clinging to the grace of God. Her past has lead her mind to be lied into believing that she had to work her way to God. She's just now realizing the true loving grace of God, not by her own works.

Listening to her talk about this made me go: "Wait a second... have I?"

Have I really gotten that whole bit about God's grace being a gift that I cannot earn?

So this has lead me to ponder what it really means to cling to the grace of God...

grace:

the freely given, unmerited favor, and love of God.

bitter sweet

I feel like my life has recently been in a perpetual state of forced growth.
Not that this is really a bad thing, just hard.
Maybe you could call it trials? Hardships? Challenges?

Whatever it is... sometimes I feel like God just decided to drop it all on me at once...
just to see what would happen.
Here ya go!
Let's see what you can do!

Obviously I know that's not the case.
Of course, I know they are opportunities to grow.
And yes, I believe there has been growth.
And I hope there will be more to come.

There are still those moments when, in my brokenness, I wish for an easy life.
To be perfectly honest, that's what you could sum up the majority of my life to be: easy.

But I know that's just not at all what Jesus had in mind for us.

"I have said these things to you that you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have over come the world." John 16:33

hodgepodge

Seeing as how I've missed having a place to really write about random things (and not just objects I make)... I decided to start another blog. So, here I am.

This will be my hodgepodge. Enjoy.

And yes, I will likely keep using scroll/handwritten text, cuz I'm just that way.