A Season of Grace

by De Shelle Perry-Jordan
(Richmond, Virginia)

Hmmm…let me see. Today is Wednesday. Friday my dad has surgery. The doctors said that after his cancerous left lung is removed, he will need to be in ICU for at least two days. I plan on spending the night with him in ICU, so I need to prepare my family for Friday and Saturday. Gracious, I still need to wash the kid’s clothes, prepare meals, and figure out how to get Evan to pre-school then childcare, get Kennedy to childcare, pack the kid’s bags, and leave their clothes out for Friday and Saturday. Wait, I need to go to the grocery store. Did I pay the bills? Uuuuuhhhh.

How will I get all this accomplished and have my sanity left in tact,” Sierra wondered. Her to-do list was overwhelming. Realizing that it would be this rigorous for the next 4-8 weeks of her dad’s recovery, Sierra dropped to her knees in the middle of the kitchen and cried softly, “FATHER”. The phone rang. It was her husband. “Hey, the kids and I are on our way home from the park. Do you need me to stop and get anything?” he asked eagerly. “Yes, everything,” she said in an airy voice getting up off the floor. “Ahhh, did you say Everlast. You want batteries?” “No babe, she said with a smile in her voice, just come home.”

Sierra began to prepare dinner with tears gently streaming down her face. Suddenly her heart gained strength as she remembered the words of the Lord, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness."(2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT)

Much like Sierra, you are facing a challenge that is beyond your human ability to progress. The details are all too overwhelming. Your current needs outweigh your current resources. Your character flaws are making more public announcements than the Samaritan woman after meeting Jesus. Or you may find yourself at a difficult place of decision. Whatever your case may be, God’s grace is sufficient. He is all you need.

I am Sierra. It has been two weeks since my dad’s surgery. My to-do list has not gotten any shorter. My responsibilities have grown as a stay at home mom and stay at home daughter. Has it been easy? No. But God sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. It gives me great confidence to know that He knew his plans for me were good and not evil. If you back track through your life, I’m sure you will see the hand of God bringing you to the very place where you stand.

I knew why it was important for me to leave my career behind and stay home with my children, but I could have never foreseen the impact of that decision on my entire family. So because He knew what my dad would need in this stage of his life, God’s sufficient grace, sovereign favor, enabling power is all I need. Now like Paul I can say, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Corithians 12:9-10, NKJV).