Grace

I love it when a small event later EXPLODES in my brain as an amazing lesson on grace.

My kiddo wanted to do some sewing last night (Mommy heart melt), and of course, she wanted to do it on my sewing machine. She's used it several times, but she's still learning.

I offered to thread it for her, but she wanted to do it herself.

I showed her. She goofed it up. I showed her. She goofed it up. I showed her again. She kept huffing and throwing mini fits.

I'd look at her and say calmly, "Am I yelling at you?" "No." "Then why are you yelling at me?" This continued and continued. She finally figured it out, and needless to say, was quite proud of herself.

Have you ever been impatient when someone is going out of their way to be patient with you? God is so like that. So. Incredibly. Patient. (And surprise, it's not even hard for Him!)

We mess up. We huff and puff and throw fits, but He's right there beside us saying, "Here, try it again." "Here, let me help you with that." "Here, let me show you how."

He's not yelling at you. He's not glaring at you or sending you to your room every time you get frustrated. He loves you. For goodness sake, He wants you to get it right.

I don't know where people get the idea that God is up there judging their every move and anxiously hovering over the PUNISH button. He LOVES you. He wants you to get it right, but He knows you're human, so He's right there with all the help you could ever need. You're not on your own, He's right there next to you just aching to help you. His patience is unending.

That is still unfathomable to me, because try as I might, I am not always patient with my beautiful, wonderful child. When I'm about to hit what I think is "my limit" I've got to remember, God wouldn't do that to me.

Every single day, there He is, sitting beside me, saying, "It's okay, just try again."