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