A Grace Encounter


I had been stressing recently that I wasn't loving enough as a person.  God had been whispering His encouragement, and a dear friend had also encouraged me about this very thing.  Then a couple of days ago I had the most amazing thing happen, at least for me!  You see, I am not the most outgoing person, usually keeping to myself, especially in public.  I will smile at strangers and greet them, but that's about it.

Well, a couple of days ago I was in a store looking at books, and a lady just happened to be standing nearby also browsing.  She started handing me books that looked interesting, and somehow, within a few minutes we were talking about God and how wonderful He is!  She told me about how God brought her brother back from terrible wounds from a car accident, and how she had felt His peace.  I shared a time from my life when I had felt the same peace.  Then we started talking about just how good and loving He is, how He's our first love, and I told her how God had shown me what grace is and how it changed my view of Him so much.  It was so wonderful!  We agreed that we weren't really strangers, we are family in Him!  This was all wonderful enough, just being able to talk about His love and grace with someone and build each other up.  A true grace encounter!

(And these kinds of things NEVER happen to me!  It made me wonder how many people we run across every day who would like to talk about Him or just soak in His love.  Wouldn't it be neat to have a conversation like that every day, to build one another up in Him and His GRACE?)

But then came the icing on the cake!  She said that she knew when I walked up that I was a Christian....she said she sensed God's LOVE in me!  That was just what I needed to be encouraged about!  He knew!  He just dropped a love note down on me through this dear sister, whose name I do not even know!  Isn't He good?  He is so good!  Why me?  Why should He love an extremely ordinary, slightly off-kilter human being who sometimes is just trying to survive another day?  That is just the way He is!  And He loves each person as if they were the only one alive...always seeking to do something special to show His affection for us!

Lately when I think of God, when the thought of Him crosses my mind, the image I see is of Him smiling at me!  Happy!  Every time!  Just wanting to bless and do good things!  He is a wonderful God...to me and to everyone!  He loves us all so very much!

Dear Father God, I LOVE YOU!
May the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 2 Co. 13:14