Friday, August 7, 2009

Can I Just Say Grace or Do I Have to Mean It?

I have read the most amazing novel... Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie. I literally haven't stopped thinking about it...it is the kaleidoscope I view all that has happened these last few days. It is through this lens I view my mothering and certainly many of my choices.

When I think of the word grace...I think of forgiveness although I know it has many different meanings and it is a word of significance for Christians in particular.

I struggle with accepting grace and giving grace...but I am ashamed to say that I struggle with forgiving others. My husband on the other hand is a very forgiving person who has shown me incredible grace as well as to others...He just does!
I on the other hand ( y'know the one you want to cut off...) revisit the trauma and ruminate until it's all fresh and new! Why?
I honestly don't know...I do the very thing I do not want to do.

I have been hurt in my life but no more than I have hurt others I am sure...
Why do I keep this record of wrong doings...when it is not what I want to do!

I do know that this flaw in my nature has kept me close to God...I mean I don't think he would like someone like me to roam too far away!

I loved this book...it has a few broken and interesting characters ...like me!

How about you? Is it easier to receive grace or to give it?

9 comments:

Ash said...

I'm thinking a trip to Barnes and Noble is in order for today - you are about the fourth person to rave about this book.

Giving and receiving grace is a daily struggle for me. If it were easy, it wouldn't mean so much.

Ronda's Rants said...

That is it in a nutshell... isn't it?

Unknown said...

I think Em said it very well! and yes a trip to the bookstore is in order today!

Betty W said...

Giving is much easier for me. I can easily forgive and forget, but I always think I don´t deserve the grace of others. Show´s my insecurities.
Thanks for sharing this!

Tracy P. said...

Hi Rhonda! I saw this post title on Betty's blog roll and had to come by and read the post. I love your honesty, and God certainly does too. This sounds like such a good book. I also loved your people watching post from Disney. Wish I had been there with you.

Much easier for me to give grace than receive it. But the need to receive it keeps me much more humble than I would be otherwise, and that is a blessing.

Rhonda said...

I so wish I could find that book here! I tried amazon, even a used version, but it's $14 shipping!! I think I'll wait until I see one here, but I'm hoping it is in time for your Bloggy Book Club!!

Kathryn Magendie said...

Ronda, this is so lovely...A beautiful way to start my morning, on this sun-drenched-over-the-smoky-mountain-ridgetops day.

I love the idea of grace and forgiveness . . . I love that this book had you thinking about it after you closed the pages . . . what more could a writer ask?

thank you.

Jeanne Estridge said...

I'm not sure which is harder -- giving or receiving forgiveness -- just that I'm not very good at either.

Justine said...

Hmmm... I think it's much easier to receive grace than to give it. I find I have the same weakness as you, that when someone does me or one of mine wrong, I have a very hard time forgetting it and just letting it GO. I may pretend to that person that all is well, but it's always there, festering in my mind. Ugh. Not a good way to be.

Justine :o )