Opening The Gift

I woke up this morning feeling a little queasy.  I don't think I am getting sick, I think it has something todo with the heat being on this morning and I got too hot upstairs.  But when your belly feels bad, it's hard to have a cheery disposition.  

Then, I come downstairs to find coffee grounds on the floor by the trash can and I have to start cleaning ASAP.  My mind is now running 100 mph on why is it so hard to take out the trash...ever been there?

I finally get a cup of coffee in my pretty peacock cup (Thank you Mom) and sit down at the kitchen table.  My mind is still listing all the things I have to accomplish today and then I feel a nudging to open the WORD.  

I open my Bible app on my phone and I am thinking that it will have something to calm me down or make me happy.  You know, a happy text from Psalms or maybe Philippians 4:8...NOPE.  It's about salvation being a gift from God so that none of us can boast...huh?

God saved you by his grace

when you believed.  And you

can't take credit for this; it is a

gift from God.

Salvation is not a reward

for the good things we have done,

so none of us can boast about it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

But just the act of opening the WORD and reading calmed me down.  What stands out to me this morning is the first 6 words...God saved you by his grace. I am so thankful for the grace of God and for salvation.

How can I go around my home in a huff of anger over spilled coffee grounds and overflowing trash when I am saved by the grace of God?  I know it's a nasty job to clean that stuff up but today I am deciding to abide in the grace that God has given to me.  To open this gift and pass it on, even to my own family.

Love this pic of Henry, Parker and Luke.
Brothers, nothing like family.

It's easier to give grace to those we don't see that often but we need to start at home.  I love my family and I am so thankful for all of them.  I pray that God fills my home with grace, peace, love and joy.  That we treat each other with respect and consideration.  That His presence is a constant when we rise until we rise again in the morning...never ceasing.  Let this be, A Place Called Grace.