Gratitude Day 10 - Jenny and Grace

This week was a rough one for me, for my missing then found student, and for my pastor Jenny.  Each of us felt like somehow we had missed the Grace train, that bad things were happening, and we were angry and sad.  Today at church, Jenny taught about Grace.  Grace, she said, is God.  You can't separate the two. Grace is everywhere -- in our past, in our present, and in our future.  And the most important thing I learned today is that God is operating on a time arc that we can't understand.  It is hard to see Grace in the moment, when bad things are happening to the best of people, and we lose sight of God's timeline.

As I listened to the sermon, I thought of all the ways, large and small, that Grace has touched me through my life.  This gratitude blog highlights many of them, and today I'm inspired to list the most compelling instances of Grace intruding lovingly into my life.

Grace is:

Aiden climbing his first playset and sliding down by himself;
the spirit of Coach John and Erica pushing me through your first triathlon;
the look on my face the first time I glimpsed the Grand Canyon, and the look on my dad's face as he watched;
wishing I could get a date with a cute girl at Charlie's, and getting a church home and a renewed commitment to faith instead;
my mom saying only, "And?" when I told her I am gay, affirming who I am, and who I've been all this time;
my student coming home hours after we post the flyers;
Amanda getting the ambulance to my house from hundreds of miles away;
and God's voice at the lily pad pond, telling me to go on.

Today I am thankful for Grace, and to Jenny for helping me find it every day.