Day 197 ~ Sand Therapy

Looking at this picture of grandson Luke at the park, reminded me of going on vacation to Florida beaches and playing and digging my toes in to the silky sand. It is such good therapy no wonder kids like playing in sandboxes. My favorite thing is to take long walks down a beach and feel the sand and the surf running over my feet. I love to pick up shells...tons of them. Whenever a near perfect shell would roll in with the surf, I always thought it was meant just for me from God. I never want to part with my "finds".......and so....I still have a ton of shells!

I am feeling a little better today, still have a slight headache and sinus aches. It is a gorgeous day outside today...so I will try to sit in the sun and maybe bake the infection out of me! It couldn't hurt. Jenny and Anna are coming over this afternoon to swim in the pool too. I better take a nap before they come!

Dear God, Thank You for the Beautiful Day....the sun, flowers, trees, birds, friends and family. Amen

Love, Janet

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”- Hebrews 11:1

True Grace, Stand in It

We all like a person who is extremely gracious and forgiving. When we do something outrageous, they take it in stride and lovingly embrace us. It's hard not to like that kind of person. In fact we find ourselves bending over backwards to work with them. Yes, we like gracious people!

Why is it we so easily overlook the grace of God? Perhaps it is because we always think we owe something to that loving person who has been so forgiving to us. We say to them, "I owe you one." And we fully expect that loving person to collect on that debt.

But the problem is, we really don't understand true grace. True grace does not collect on a debt you feel you owe. Just the opposite is true too. God is in no way obliged to love you or forgive you. The fact of God's love is rooted in His grace. When you ask God to forgive you of your sins, He does so, not because He owes it to you, but because He is gracious.

You see, God gave His only Son to die on a cross almost 2000 years ago to pay the penalty due to people like you for their sins. When Christ died, He did not pay for His own sins. He was perfect. He was sinless. Christ paid for the sins of others! So when you ask God, He forgives your debt for sin, not because He owes you anything but because of Christ's sacrifice to pay for your sin. That's grace! "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)