if not for grace...

Grace - When God gives you something you don't deserve.
Mercy - When God withholds the punishment that you do deserve.

I am grateful for both.

The grace of God is something that overwhelms me when I think of it.

Some days I am so reminded of where I have come from. Today is one of those days. In just five short days, I will celebrate 13 years of walking with Jesus.
I can't believe it.
So far, it's been an epic love story.
There's been romance, love, hurt, heartache, tears of joy, dances of victory, and crying in the valley.

The story is still being written.

His grace covered my life long before I recognized it as what it really was.

There were so many stupid decisions that could have led to so many different outcomes.
His grace covered me.
There were words spoken over me that could have destroyed me.
His grace covered me.
There were wounds so deep that could have poisoned, infected, and killed me.
His grace covered me.

Time and time again, I can look back and say that His grace surely did cover me.

I desperately want my life to reflect the level of grace that He had on me.
I want that grace to be so evident on and in my life that people will say of my life: "Surely she has stood in the presence of the Lord."

Just like any great love story, the middle and end are just as exciting as the beginning. After almost thirteen years, I am more intrigued and more passionately in love than I have ever been.

I haven't even begun to touch the surface of who God is and yet I'm so deep already.

I just want my life to convey the love and the grace of my God.

"Oh how amazing the grace that is leading the lost and the prodigals home"
- New Life Worship

Filled with awe and wonder,
SV

humming old hymns...

I had a starbucks date with one of our students tonight. It's amazing to me how comfy chairs and hot chocolate can allow someone to open up.

After an hour of general conversation, she told me she desperately wanting to connect to her dad. She told me about her other friends who have dads that show affection and adoration for their children. She began to describe the relationship that she wishes she had with her dad.

There's something that is inside of every single girl that desires to have a relationship with her daddy. There is an innocence inside of every girl to be a daddy's girl. Girls want to be loved, admired, and adored by their dads.

Sadly, especially in this world, the relationship between a dad and a daughter has been pushed to the bottom of the unending list of things that need to happen on a daily basis. We cannot forget the importance of this relationship.

For those girls who desire that relationship, but have no father, I have some encouraging news for you!

Psalm 68:3-6 says it like this:
But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the cloudsa—
his name is the Lord—
and rejoice before him.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;

I love how God really is a Father to the fatherless. He has a special place in His heart for the people of this world who are missing out on a relationship with their father.

I love that God has adopted me into His family.

For so long, I felt like an orphan child. I never could understand why my dad didn't want a relationship with me. As I got older, it got harder and harder to understand. Even to this day, I don't understand how a dad could just walk away from his family.
BUT I KNOW NOW that my God is the best father that I could ever have.

I am feeling more and more ready to share my story with the world. After tonight, I feel like if even one person can be encouraged, inspired, or challenged by my story, then every second of my life would have been worth it.

Tonight I was reminded at how grateful I am that God is a good God and is a father to the fatherless. I really am so glad that I'm part of the family of God.