Do you know what I mean by moments of grace? I'm referring to those moments of internal peace, even while the busyness of life continues to swirl around us; those precious pockets of time when the kingdom of God draws near and a glimpse of heaven is revealed. I'm talking about resting in the strong embrace of our Creator.
There's no question that we lead busy lives. As a mom of 3, one preschooler and two school-age children, I am constantly on the go and constantly in demand. If it's not one thing, it's another, and I never, ever feel like I'm completely on top of things, or doing everything I should be doing. That balance that the morning talk-show hosts, the lifestyle bloggers, and the advice columnists are always touting as the key to happiness continues to prove elusive for me. I am never in balance. If I have one area of my life under control, something else is simultaneously spinning dangerously close to chaos. I've resigned myself to the fact that it is metaphysically impossible for my entire house to be clean at the same time. If I feel confident about one aspect of my life, there's something else that makes me want to hide my head under a pillow.
I've come to the conclusion that this so-called balance is impossible. No human can do everything, and do it well--some of us are just better at faking it than others. But there is good news in the midst of all of this wobbliness. God sees us, with all of the plates we're spinning, all of the balls we try to keep in the air, and God knows that we just can't do it all. So God, in his infinite wisdom and love for us, gives us these moments of grace and rest, these glimpses of heaven. We just need to be looking for them, because, believe me, they're not easy to spot in the middle of all of our craziness. You'll know you've found one when your spirit is quiet, and you feel a sense of rightness.
Let me tell you about one of my favorite ways that God injects grace into my ordinary, crazy life. Every now and then this winter, I would be outside playing with the children, and they would be occupied with other things. I would lay on my back in the snow, seeing the impossibly blue sky framed by the brown branches and green needles of the pine trees stretching upward. I would feel the gentle touch of the suns rays warming me along with the comforting, solid cold of the snow on my back. I would float there, listening to the sounds of children at play, and know that God had crafted this moment in time just for me--that I would feel God's presence and know His peace, catching a glimpse of heaven in that moment--oh, what a precious gift. And how easy it would have been to miss God's gift of grace in the midst of my busyness.
And so today I choose to seek out and savor moments of grace.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
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