But By the Grace of God

 

I Corinthians 15:10 – “But by the grace of God I am what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all:  yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

I came across this verse the other day during my daily Bible reading, and it really spoke to me.  I started to think of this verse in terms of a momma and some points really hit home, and I decided to share those with you.

1).  “But by the grace of God” – Have you ever had one of those days?  You know the kind where you are barely skimming by.  The oldest is struggling with a math concept, the youngest refuses to sound out her sight words, dinner is burnt, and the sink is full of dishes.  Maybe company even decides to drop by.  These are my “by the grace of God” days.  To the world these problems seem insignificant, but all of us moms know that sometimes there are LONG, trying days.  Next time one of these hits your calendar remember, “But by the grace of God.”

2).  “I am what I am” – That’s right friend you are exactly who, where, and what God has intended for you to be.  He knows your strengths and your weaknesses, your joys and your pains.  So many times we forget that motherhood is an important job, and He calls us to do this work.  When you begin to think that you can’t, just remember that he says you can.

3).  “Bestowed upon me and not in vain” – Whew, this is a biggie with me.  I don’t ever want the good Lord to think he gave me a talent in vain.  I want to always do His will, and fulfill His total purpose for my life.

4).  “Labored more abundantly”– Ah yes, the labor.  There are times when it never ends.  People always need fed, dinners need cooked, and clothes need washed.  So we labor on.  This path we have chosen is not the easy one.  It is simply a rewarding one.

5).  “Not I, but God” – I think as a momma it is easy to forget this.  We must simply trust and lean into the arms of our almighty Savior.  By our own will not much will get accomplished, but by His will we can do great things.

I hope this short thought adds some encouragement into your day.  Remember our days are long, but the years are flying by.