Grace in this vale of tears

I’m going to start this with a story that still makes me laugh.

Once upon a time, while I was an 8th grader at North Ridge Middle School in North Richland Hills, Texas, a rainstorm blew through right after our school drop off. For whatever reason, the school door was still locked and a group of us were trying to find a small sliver of shelter under one of the school doors. It wasn’t working very well, and we were getting quite wet. It was early, we knew we had a long day ahead of us in those wet clothes, and it was uncomfortable. We were all muttering lines such as “this sucks” and “ugh when will the door open?”. One of the boys, a skinny tall boy named Wally – said to us in reply, “Life’s a *insert expletive also meaning female dog here*, you just gotta live it.” My best friend and I just gave each other a look as we tried to hold in our laughter. Seemed a little extreme of a response at the time. We were just complaining, not trying to make it all about the woes of life as we knew it.

Oh, but Wally had a sentiment that day that a lot of people do, am I right? Life IS a . . . bad word, hard time, maybe a . . . VALE OF TEARS? Oh, yes. That’s it. Life is a vale of tears. As Christians we know this to be a truth that is inescapable. It’s not meant to imply we need to live with a sense of doom. We just understand that while in this life, we will encounter suffering and tribulation. In fact, Jesus assures us that we will in John 16:33 – “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

In the world you will have trouble. Yep. I’ve learned that. I’m sure you have as well.

And suffering isn’t something to always be avoided. As Christians we know that to be true as well. It seems like an oxymoron to say that suffering can be beautiful but doesn’t our God do that? I mean, just look at the cross. Before Jesus Christ suffered and died on one, the cross was a symbol of shame, torture and death. It was an ugly reminder of brokenness. And now look- we wear crosses around our necks. We hang them on our walls. Jesus took the cross and turned it into our beautiful salvation.

He makes all things new. He makes all things beautiful. Even our suffering, when we unite it to His. What a grace.

Speaking of grace- I was thinking of just how many moments He makes this grace visible to us, if we just take the time to notice. Acknowledge.

“Your grace is an ocean, and I am sinking in it” – amid this vale of tears I feel this often. How can that be? Sometimes the grace hits me big. It hit me big in the ICU room that my mother died in nearly two years ago now. I FELT Him in the grief. What a grace.

It hit me big when I was up nursing newborns in the middle of the night. Sleep deprived like never before, yet blissful. What a grace.

And if often hits me softer, in little moments that otherwise might be overlooked. But I’ve asked specifically for God to let me notice these things. I’ve asked specifically for the virtue of hope- have you ever done that? Prayed for the virtue of hope? If not, here is your sign that you should do that. Right now.

These smaller moments of grace- they might seem silly to you, but I feel God in the small things too.

I feel His warmth during the squeeze around my waist when my 10-year-old daughter gives me a big hug.

I hear His joy in the sound of my kids’ little voices as they sing along to old George Strait playing on the radio in the car.

I wonder at the shine of the half-moon that my  11-year old pointed out to me as I drive him to early basketball practice.

I delight in His creation as my eyes follow the cutest squirrel, running along the fence line out my home office window.

I smell His beautiful flowers at the end of the grocery store line I’m waiting in, right next to the floral section. It’s not an ordinary place to stop and enjoy the flowers, yet here I am with this feeling of appreciation. Thanks, Jesus. For having my back even in a grocery line.

Yes, His grace is an ocean, and we are all sinking in it. What a gift. Amid this vale of tears, are you taking courage? He has conquered the world, after all. Don’t forget. And take some time to see the gifts He has for you, every single day that you are alive on this Earth.