Jacque Watkins

finding grace through the mud

For When You Dream of a Community of Mercy and Grace

by

I’m still full of wonder at the mercy of our God—the fact that I don’t receive the punishment I do deserve, but instead am given grace—the gift of His unending and extravagant love I don’t deserve.

I wonder what it would be like for every heart to be found by His mercy and transformed by His grace. To really let it sink in how lavishly loved by God we really are. This is my passion.

And I wonder what would happen if there arose a community where we shared our experiences of how mercy found us and how we’ve been met by His grace.

To tell one another what God has done in and through us,

To encourage each other,

And to draw others in who desperately need to know.

I wonder how it would strengthen and empower our hearts to know that our pain and suffering, and our mistakes and failures, are never in vain when we surrender them to God.

I wonder how hearts would be renewed to hear they are not journeying alone.

To hear how God will, and has, transformed even the most horrific circumstances and used them for good.

To understand and know how He can redeem and restore any situation to reflect His goodness and love.

Because He IS that kind of God.

My God-sized dream tonight, is of a community here in this online space, where we are filled with the wonder of His love, moved by the radical power of His grace, and changed by His generous and unending mercy toward each and every one of us.

Oh imagine the wonder of us all … united … standing arm in arm, with our scars of this life exposed for others to see. Not to wallow, or complain, or highlight shame or guilt or despair. But instead, for those scars to declare to each other and to shout to all the world, that God is with us…

And He is good,

And we are loved,

No matter what!

Friend, I’m inviting you today to such a community … this community … that you may know you are never alone!

Has mercy found you?

How has grace changed your life?

 

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her last prompt of 2012:

Wonder…

 

Related posts:

Kara Tippetts Mundane Faithfulness CancerMS 037 Remembering Kara Tippetts: Mundane Faithfulness and Big Love with Kindness and Grace When You Need to Believe There Can Be Beauty After Pain When Pain Blinds Us to the Truth
<center><a href='http://www.audibletrack.com/click.track?CID=102175&AFID=317075&ADID=1213643&SID='><img src='http://www.audibletrack.com/impression.track?CID=102175&AFID=317075&ADID=1213643&SID=' border='0' /></a></center>

Comments

  1. Mia says

    Hi Jacque
    Yes, we can only wish and wonder! But we know that one day it will be like that. My life is a living, walking, talking example of our God taking the biggest mistakes and tragedy and working it for our good and His glory. And I also wonder at His love for me with all my imperfection! I love the way how you used the theme for this week as a question and as admiration. Beautifully done, thank you!
    Hope to see you again next year at FMF.
    Have a lovely Xmas
    Mia

  2. Sarah says

    Mercy and grace, GREAT words to ponder this Christmas season! I enjoyed reading your post from FMF, and what a better job to see God’s wonder every day than a Labor and Delivery nurse! As a family doctor who delivers babies, I experience similar things. Thanks for your words!

  4. Laura Rath says

    Hi Jacque!
    Oh, those God-sized dreams! The ones that make you feel like you could bubble over with excitement…and fear, at the same time…the dreams God plants in our hearts, knowing we can’t fulfill the dreams without Him. So happy to see we are both on Holley’s dream team. 🙂

    I love the new look of your blog!!

    Blessings,
    Laura

Trackbacks