My eyes are open. I want to live this way all the time.
Paul’s sister and family are staying with us. Last night I saw a book, “Remember, I love you” a memoir on his marriage by Charlie Shedd (“Letters to Karen”, “Letters to Philip”) had been pulled off the shelf and placed on the kitchen counter. This morning it was still there and I asked Kristi if she had been the one to grab it. She had. I love this book because the reader really gets to know Shedd’s wife, Martha, an amazing woman. As my sister-in-law is not a voracious reader I was immediately concerned she wouldn’t read my favorite parts (more later). Planning to read some of them aloud I opened the book and the first thing I saw was the chapter title, “Prevenient Grace” Goodness. Now, I knew when I was musing about preventative grace that I couldn’t have been the first to do so and that there was possibly a theological term for it, but I didn’t know. The chapter is about Shedd’s early days in the ministry when his head was turned by all the feminine adulation he received under the guise of pastoral care. He never did anything inappropriate, but Martha was concerned and he wasn’t. Her prayers for their marriage and commitment to him regardless of his potential actions was ultimately a convicting force.
At the end of the chapter he writes, “Our catechism says, ‘Grace is the free, unmerited love and favor of God.’ Beautiful affirmation, theology at its finest, except possibly for the one addendum. ‘Prevenient grace’ is the addendum, meaning different things to different scholars. But could it ever have any more perfect meaning than this?”
Prevenient/preventative/preventive/anticipatory GRACE is clearly something God wants me to wrap my body/mind/soul and spirit around….to receive. This morning I remembered to ask for it and then within minutes I opened a book and was affirmed. I love it when I can see the hand of God while it is reaching and pushing things in front of me, especially when it touches through seemingly mundane impulses e.g. my sister-in-law wanting a little something to read.
I want to spend the rest of my life exploring and experiencing the grace of God. It seems to be important to Him. I am beginning to understand that.
It does seem so, doesn’t it?
You KNOW math is not my strong suit, (“Uh, Mr Potter, how can a number be negative?”) but I have run the numbers and my answer is love and grace – He digs um.
I was at Bible study last night and we talked about the mercy and judgment of God. And it struck me, that whenever the Bible talks about God “changing his mind” about a statement/decision he has made it is always away from judgment and to mercy. But never the other way around.
Btw, thanks for the Potter flashback. lol. Too funny. Remember him singing “As the Deer”? That memory still makes me uncomfortable.
Vaguely…vaguely. I am cringing. I think I blocked it out.
OK, you asked for it. I had a chemistry memory I was thinking about blogging. Just you wait!
Wow, that is such a cool “coincidence” (though I doubt it is coincidence at all, like you said).