Grace

I totally blew it this morning on something. I realized I'd forgotten to do something time-critical while I was in the shower, so I got out, put on some running clothes and (literally) ran around this few-block radius between two hotels and the convention center.

And when I got back to my room to put on my nice clothes for the day, I got a phone call -- "Where are you?" I was supposed to be somewhere, doing something. People were depending on me, and I totally blew it.

But I was given grace. "Don't worry; we'll make do. It'll be fine. We forgive you."

And knowing that this was truly spoken from a heart that is accustomed to extending God's grace to others, I moved on with my day forgiven and guilt free. I still can't believe how dumb that was, but I spent some time later thinking about how freeing it is to not have to stew in a sea of guilt.

Not only did they forgive me, but the group that was depending on me turned around and prayed for me, knowing how busy I was. They not only covered my short-coming, but they over-covered my short-coming. What a picture of God's grace!

And what a blessing to be part of a community where that's truly practiced. A hectic and frazzled morning turned into a bit of a blessing.