Grace

For these past 9 months, I've been learning to see God in all situations. It's not an easy process, more like forcing my mind to reformat. But it gets easier once I start to get used to it. And as time goes by, I'm also beginning to be aware of something else as well. Something that has eluded me in the past.

I'm beginning to see God's grace in everyday matters.

I gradually realise that :
Grace is not only found in the big, momentous occasions.
Grace is not only found in our possessions, creature comforts and luxuries.
Grace is not only found in the favours done for us.
Grace is not about having lots of money in several fat bank accounts.

I am not a rich person, and will probably never even come close to making my first million, or rather, a quarter of a million! But by God's grace, I have a roof over my head, a job to generate my income and health to enjoy my simple life.

-- By grace, I can sit on the sofa watching TV and eating a bag of chips.
-- By grace, I get a good night's sleep and not suffer from insomnia.
-- By grace, I have the ability to see, to hear, to talk, and to move my limbs.
-- By grace, I have 3 meals a day, and do not go hungry.
-- By grace, I have freedom. I live in a peaceful country where bombs do not drop on my head. A place without earthquakes ( though there's the occasional tremor ) or volcanoes. A country without famine.

It is also by God's grace that we have people we trust around us, to lend us a helping hand and to pull us up when we fall flat on our faces. People we can talk to in time of trouble, and whom we can turn to in time of need. Through grace, I have somebody to love, and to be loved in return. A shoulder to lean on, a sympathetic ear. I have relatives who genuinely care for me and support me, brethrens who straighten and strengthen my perspectives, and to help me unravel my problems ( vice versa as well ), as well as friends to cheer me up when I'm down in the dumps.

Grace is when something bad happens, or is about to happen in our lives, and we suddenly see in the situation that God is with us. We are not on our own and do not have to grapple with our troubles on our limited strength. We see our worries and fears dissolve. We realise that with God behind us, nothing is beyond hope, and nothing is bleak. It is grace when we see the challenge in problems we face as a training and rise up to the occasion, instead of wallowing in self-pity and getting depressed.

By God's grace, we hear the chirping of birds every morning. We see leaves swaying in the breeze and admire the colourful flowers. We see beautiful designs on the ever-shifting clouds and enjoy communing with the nature God provides for us. My heart lifts whenever my dogs come running to me with wagging tails and lolling tongues. I unconsciously smile when they snore in their sleep, happy and contented.

To put in simply, God's grace is in the things we experience everyday. All we have to do is to look at it, be thankful for it, and not take things for granted, for it is by His grace that we bask in His unconditional love.