Quiet, Heavy Grace

Big, fat, fluffy flakes float silently down from the Pennsylvania sky and land with a plop on the already covered ground. These are the biggest snowflakes I've ever seen. They land lightly on the trees and bushes surrounding the hotel. As feathery as they seem, the branches of the evergreens are bowed over from their weight. It is beautiful. And relentless. The snow is so heavy there is a threat of it breaking tree branches and causing power outages. Already the power has flickered several times.

The trees that I notice the most are the evergreens, with their spiky needles and Christmas scent. The heavy snow covers those needles that would, if I grabbed a branch, stab and hurt and leave my skin burned. The snow buffers me from the pain.As I watch the flakes fall, I'm reminded of grace. The grace that I talked about when I first started Butterfly Genes. The reason I began blogging in the first place.

Grace that allows one who doesn't know if she will live or die raise her hands in praise of the One who holds her future.

Grace that conceives life deep within one who obeyed to worship, even though pain was strong.

Grace that allows over 200 women to gather in one place, not arguing over doctrine or theologies or denominations, but worshiping, serving, and sharing one Lord.

It is a heavy grace, one that falls no matter what I do. If I choose to stand under it, it will cover me. I could just stand under the awning and not get covered by the snow; I could just stand there and watch the beauty fall on others but not experience it myself.
But I want that grace...I long for that grace. Grace that protects me from the world's sharp spikes and jabs. Grace that is relentless in its pursuit of me.
Relevant 2011...a grace journey. I will share some of what I learned this week. Some fun, some informational, some from deep in my heart.

All from grace.