Grace Street

 

May all the streets in your life take you to where you want to be, so to speak.

In my line of work, bug killing that is, I am always on a street or heading to one. Destinations are what I do on a daily basis. Why is it we all don’t travel o Grace Street more often?

Grace is a name of a street I have seen in my travels from time to time.  One we all should travel on more than not.  Without it we would be unable to operate civilly.  I know on a daily basis that I do things that require grace from others like running late, or acting awkwardly or misspeaking.  Who hasn’t made a mistake and what better way to get back on track than resetting with an act of grace.

Allow me to take a side street for just a brief moment.  One day I was reading a Snapple lid and it asked the question what is the most popular named street?  I will give you multiple choice - (a) First St.  (b) Church St.  (c) Main St.  (d) Second St.  If you said the answer was (A) you would be wrong.   That seemed like the obvious answer, but it is actually Second St.  The reason being in some towns they use First St. and others use Main St. 

Now, let’s get back to grace.  The word grace has become a popular one to me over the years and is even the middle name of my second daughter The reason I took a side street was to make the point the when it comes to grace it is certainly not an obvious outcome.  For you see, grace means unmerited favor or in layman’s terms getting something you don’t deserve. 

 

Here are a few practical uses for grace.  First, grace can be used when you find yourself wanting to finish something someone else started.  Like the other day I found myself disgruntled by a grocery store cashier who continued to try to goad me into losing it on him.  Second, grace can be found when we go out of our way to make someone’s day by just sitting with them and making them smile.  Third, grace can be discovered when we help someone who can’t get by on their own. 

The list goes on and on, but basically all we need to be is someone who is friendly and be someone who is  full of grace..

Grace Street is a nice place to visit, but a better place to live..

Swavel

Just Browsing

 

Life is but a brief moment that needs to be spent wisely.

Just the other day I was in a convenience store when a strange sign caught my eye.  It was hanging from the magazine rack and simply read:  Please do not read- purchase the magazine first and then view it…

Besides being rude it got me to thinking.  We are all faced with a conundrum in this life and that challenge is simply whether to get too involved with life or not.  Do we just let it pass us by, do we get obsessed with it in a bad way or do we invest in what is eternally significant.

A few famous quotes come to mind…

1-Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass,
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
… for… I shall not pass this way again.  -Anonymous

2-Look at everything as though you were seeing it for the first time or the last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.   -Betty Smith

To me it is quite simple.  Our time on earth is short- we are here today gone tomorrow.  So, my thought is to simply make the most of every day and take none of them for granted.  And as a follower of Jesus it is even simpler- it is my responsibility and privilege to point as many to Him as possible.

When it comes to life, there is a big difference between just browsing or just wasting time.

Swavel

Sorry Jesus

        

Don’t let your emotions ride you like a bucking bronco because you’ll always get thrown off.

Our lives are often in sharp contrast to what we say we believe. With that thought in my mind, I crafted a letter to sum up how things often go in all our lives…

Sorry Jesus,

I am a hypocrite.

In my line of work, as an exterminator, I often end up in basements and attics.  And at this time of the year, lots of Christmas decorations are strewn about basements and attics while waiting to be put away from the holidays. 

Just today I was in a crowded basement and as I walked around a billiard table I almost bumped over something very fragile.  To be exact it was a ceramic manger scene of Jesus being visited by wise men. At that moment, without thinking, I whispered “Sorry Jesus.”

Then I got to thinking about how often I let Him down. Sorry Jesus, I don’t smile more and show others the joy you give me each day.  Sorry Jesus, I don’t point more people to you by being more sold out to you. Sorry Jesus, for not realizing the power I can wield when I place my trust completely in your hands.

A small town grocery store bill board once said this: Jesus is all you need – Hot dogs 50 cents.  For whatever reason, we often think that Jesus needs our help. Yet in reality all He really needs is our willingness to give all of ourselves to Him unconditionally.

The answer is simple, Everyday is new.  Every day is a chance to walk closer to Jesus and lean closer into Him more and more, stride for stride.

We would never need to say sorry to Jesus if we chose to say yes to Him more and no to chaos on a daily basis…

Swavel