If I’m being completely honest with myself and others, I have really struggled at the beginning of this year. Last year was an amazing year full of lots of adventures and major life changes which have been amazing but it ended in injury. In the final few days of 2021, I was told that I would have to have a major surgery to fix my knee which will put me out of commission for the church and all activities for several weeks. It has shaken me a bit and I have struggled with anxiety and fear of what is to come.
Over the last several days I have been praying, listening to worship music, and reading scripture and the word grace keeps coming back to me. God offers us grace so freely. Romans 11 says we don’t have to work for it because if we did it wouldn’t in fact be grace. A lot of times we are better at offering grace to others than we are at offering grace to ourselves. I tend to fall into that category. I’ve blamed myself for getting hurt. I’ve blamed myself for this being the way the first year of my marriage and the first year of my pastorate is going to look, but God has given me the word grace so that’s what I take into this next year. Grace received from God and grace offered to myself and others.
There’s a lot of times when life doesn’t look like we think it should look and we aren’t able to do what we think we should be able to do, but give yourself grace. Do what you can and don’t expect perfection 100% of the time. Life isn’t perfect. Nobody ever said it would be. Jesus lived life perfectly and they still nailed him to a cross. Give yourself grace. Breathe. Relax. Let go of unrealistic expectations. Allow God to move and work in your life
