Grace Imparted

I've been out of town for the past several days, attending a Renovare' Board meeting and a conference on spiritual formation. It was a week full of blessings, but there's one in particular I want to tell you about.

Our Board received a designated donation that allowed us to benefit from the services of a wonderful consultant. She spent two days with us, and we were all impressed by her knowledge and expertise, as well as by her ability to articulate her thoughts and to educate us. To be honest, I was amazed by her. She's a faithful Christian and an incredibly gifted woman, and it was a pleasure to learn from her.

On Friday morning, though, we weren't in a meeting. We were walking across a college campus, enjoying the beautiful blue sky and sunshine. All was peaceful and lovely until my foot happened upon a hole in the sidewalk. I twisted my ankle and fell--down, down, down--hitting my right knee, then my shoulder, and finally my face. I was wearing a dress at the time. Of course.

I should hasten to tell you that I'm fine. I was scratched and scraped, but thankfully suffered no sprains or breaks or major cuts. What's remarkable about that scene is not that I fell--truth be told, I'm rather clumsy, so I'm no stranger to falling. But almost before I hit the ground, our amazingly talented consultant was down on her hands and knees beside me. As quickly as other people were saying "Are you okay?" she had pulled out tissues and hand sanitizer. She carefully wiped off my scrapes and scratches and covered my skinned knee with--you can see it in the photo--a Hello Kitty band-aid.

I don't think I would have been surprised if this impressive, high-powered businesswoman had whipped out her smartphone and called for help. But I was surprised when she so humbly and lovingly cared for me right where I was, even when that required her dropping to her knees. Her kindness was a gift from God--His grace imparted to me.

Now, do you have any stories to tell of how God has imparted grace in your life? Will you share the story of a gift you've received from God's hand? It can be large or small--I'd love to hear about it! Click here to read all about this linky party celebrating God's gifts to us. Help yourself to a button and help me spread the word.