If Not For Grace

“Wake Up!”

“WAKE UP!!”

It was another non-descript day in my life. The routine was always the same, which isn’t a bad thing for everyone. Except I was becoming numb and everything was all blending together.

“Maybe I work too hard, maybe I worry too much, and maybe my joy was slipping away,” I thought while I applied the sweet citrus smelling face lotion to my face during my morning routine. The moist warm air of the bathroom filled my lungs and I paused to notice. The taste of my morning coffee mixed with the lingering hint of mint toothpaste was more noticeable today. And the bags forming under my dull eyes seemed more prevalent today. And when did the mirror get so dirty? I will need to clean it again. As I made one pass a crossed the mirror with my towel, wiping away the remaining condensation from a bigger area and wiping the mirror clean – I came into focus – maybe more of a mental clarity or maybe the steam was finally dissipating. Was the grace also? 

When did I fall asleep?

I always push hard in my Christianity and only get so far –  I fight to get further but I seem to get stuck – and then… well, then I seem to fall back to sleep. At that point I was realizing there are dead-ended patterns all around me.

Usually my morning routine included mentally reviewing the things on my mind, which I needed to get to and thinking through work strategies, talking points for meetings, and did I take the meat out of the freezer for dinner? But I can remember when I used to have worship music on in the morning or I would turn on Pastor’s podcast. I remember when I was careful wiping the mirror, because I used cheap eyeliner to write my memory verse on the mirror to rehearse every morning.  I remember when my morning shower was where I dumped all my cares about the day ahead of me, at the feet of God and surrendered to His will for my life for the day. I remember when I had joy and peace.

I realized that day I needed to wake up! WAKE UP! I had traded the joy of my salvation for the care of this world.  I needed to develop good habits again and a strong plan to keep me on course. I needed more grace in my life!! As I woke up I realized more! I needed a breakthrough, I needed deliverance, and I needed strongholds to crumble!

Paul says in the book of Romans that his spirit is willing to follow the Lord, but his flesh is weak. I am willing and my flesh is weak! He needed a plan then, and we need a plan now, to do all the things we should be doing to prioritize God in this modern world.

I had a breakthrough. I was delivered. Strongholds crumbled and now I read and pray daily. I work on memorizing the Word and fasting. I find that good works come naturally, again.  I have my joy back and I live again in the promises of the Lord and things are better than they were before.

Let me invite you to come walk with me and let God transform you through grace!!! It doesn’t matter if you have never had a relationship with God or prioritized Him you can begin now and develop good habits with me. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t slipping or if you have slipped so far away that you are unsure if you can come back. (Of course you can come back) Come walk with me – I am walking with God: focused on a relationship with Him first and developing good habits of reading, praying and watching everything fall into place.

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11 NKJV