Humbly Walking in Grace

So, today it has been raining all day. And when I mean rain, I am not referring to the dribbling drops of water that occasionally fall from the sky, these drops are of suitable size to soak instantly, and they continued to come profusely. Most people would cringe at the thought and wish themselves away to some tropical climate like Hawaii or Fiji, but not I. The rain is a refreshing reminder that God gives us everything we need just when we need it. I am tremendously thankful for that. In the midst of stress of school I often forget to stop and thank God for his faithfulness and the joy he brings to our hearts.

This week has been one of those weeks, I have been quite overwhelmed with school and life, but I was quickly reminded that even in the midst of those times I can have joy.

I would like to think I was living in a musical today. I woke up and walked briskly to class (since that is what you do when you're late) the rain was coming down, puddles forming at record speed. It made my day. So, every where I went I jumped in as many puddles as I could, often forgetting where I was and where I was going. I found myself singing the joyous song from my dear friend, Gene Kelly (or at least I wish we were dear friends), Singing in the rain. It is just one of those songs that you cannot not love, it brings so much joy and so much energy. You just want to dance and that is exactly what I was doing.

Imagine this: A 24 year old walking down the street on her way to work, singing her heart out and skipping and dancing all the way. Her hands swinging to the music in her head, as if there were no cares in the world. That was me today. It was quite the sight, but I have the joy of the Lord, I need not be ashamed. I at least brought a smile to the face of my co-workers, who had to listen to me sing and hum all evening. Well, they either were smiling or laughing because they saw my joyous spirit, or at the ridiculous thought of it. I don't mind either one.

Anyway, I want to leave you with the final moment of my day in a musical, the final performance of the joyous song....

Singing in the Rain

Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo...
I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain

Dancin' in the rain
Dee-ah dee-ah dee-ah
Dee-ah dee-ah dee-ah
I'm happy again!
I'm singin' and dancin' in the rain!
I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain...

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, "Seek my face."
My heart says to you,
"Your face, Lord, do I seek"
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

(ESV)

We are clay pots, simply jars of clay sitting and waiting for our master, the sculptor, to mold us into the perfect vessel he has purposed for us. Each mold is planned; each blemish is corrected by the masters’ touch. The master knows what we need in order to become the perfect vessel; he has the power to provide everything we need to become that vessel. Without the master, we would be a mere clump of clay without form or purpose.

This simple fact has been radiant throughout my life, yet I have only been conscious of it these past few months. God continues to mold me into the vessel He desires to use in order to bring Him glory, honor and for others to see the Lord at work and His power in a feeble life. My life hasn't been the easiest and has often been described as 'Hell', but I am beginning to learn that my life is a priceless work of art. God is sculpting my life in such a manner that I will be called His child and He will receive all the glory. There is not one thing in my life that was purposed in vain, each hardship, and each relationship, each painful circumstance was purposed as a preparation for God to get the glory of His redemptive work.

God is a God of preparation; He prepares each heart, each life, and each circumstance to allow us to be more like Christ. And the more we become imitators of His Son, the more His glory and sovereignty is revealed. It is only by His grace that we can even become anything, there is no way we can become a vessel (perfect or imperfect) with out the sculptors hand. God has and continues to sculpt our lives for the purpose of proclaiming the story of grace.

Now, I haven't always believed that God prepares us for every situation, I have had many questions, many of which I still have. Questions such as; How can God prepare me for my grandma's death, for my mother's desertion, for my family's conditional love, for my nephew's hardships? Although, I may never understand how God prepares us, I have to remember that He does, whether it feels like it or not. God is faithful and never gives us anything that we cannot handle, therefore His preparations give us the ability to handle life. It is that we often don't see His preparations, His work in our lives. We focus so much on the here and now and forget about looking to the one who gets us to tomorrow and brought us through yesterday.

With these promises, I am learning what it means to walk in that preparation. I have realized that over the past year God has been preparing me each step of the way. He used last school year to prepare me for this summer. He gave me the ability to accomplish for Him what I never thought possible. I was able to proclaim the story of His grace in my life. The same story that had crippled me for 20 years, in a matter of 3 weeks, became the story of God's grace. This time last year I would have cringed at the notion of sharing my story. Today, I am blessed to say that as long as my story remains the story of what His grace can do in a life, I will share it a million times over, for the purpose of those hearing to meet a God of grace and truth.

I'm a clay pot in the making; each day God is molding me into the perfect vessel He has chosen to use me to proclaim His purpose, to be a light that shines His glory. It is hard being molded, but God's hands are tender yet firm, He will never let me go. I can rest in the promise that I am safe in the hands of my Redeemer.


"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)


"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ... So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (II Corinthians 4:7-10, 16-18)