The Beauty of Grace is That It Makes Life Not Fair

Happy Easter, interweb world. Jesus paid for your sins and I just want you to know that you don't deserve it. You haven't done a darn thing in your life that will ever be worthy of His big big love. And the beautiful news that the gospel brings us that He is going to love us anyways. 

There is nothing in this world that you can do to make God, the King of the World, love you less. And that is the best thing I have ever heard. 

I've been in a really super excessively happy mood today and the past few days. But I would just like to say that we should all be this happy about Jesus taking away the sins of the world all day err day. It's a big deal. And by big, I mean bigger than a monster truck and bigger than a rollercoaster and bigger than the Loch Ness Monster and bigger than the love I have inside of my heart when there are Chacos on my feet. Bigger than anything physical or anything you can think of. 

Also, I would like to briefly talk about and think about how much and how richly God has blessed us all. Last week I didn't get much sleep at all because of all of the studying and working I had to do. So Friday morning I woke up at 7:30 to get to work at 8 (and by 8 I mean 8:05 because, let's be serious, being on time for anything at 8:00 in the morning is pretty much the same as patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. There might be people out in the world who can do it, but I am absolutely not one of those people) and when I woke up I just felt like I couldn't do it. I had barely been awake for 30 seconds and already I felt defeated and conquered by the day. So I sat up and before I got out of bed, I prayed that God would bring me through the day because I knew I would fall apart emotionally and probably physically if I tried to do it alone. And He did! When I got to work, one of the girls I work with had brought cupcakes with cookie dough in the middle and she gave me one. It was truly scrumptious and I said thank you to Jesus for that little chocolatey blessing. 

God has given me so so much to be thankful for. There is no reason for me to ever complain. Even when I have to walk across campus in the freaking freezing cold rain, even when I'm so tired that I'm feeling achy, even when Harcombe has absolutely no edible food and I'm so hungry I'm going to cry, even when my feelings are hurt, even when I spill food on my clothing again, none of that matters. Jesus has called me by name, and I am His! 

This morning at church, during choir/orchestra rehearsal, our conductor, the beautiful and wonderful Laurie Parsons, was getting ready to start conducting one of the choral songs, but before the choir started singing, she showed them a picture of Michelangelo's Pietà (I have included it below for your viewing convenience and pleasure) and pointed out how the proportions are a bit funny, and it's because Mary is holding Jesus as an infant but she sees Him as He will be when He dies on the cross for her and for us. She is holding up her hand as if to say, "Let it be." How beautiful is that? 

He cannot love more and will not love less.

Jesus the Lord my Savior is my shepherd and my God. My life, my strength, my joy, my bliss, and I His grace record. Whate'er I need in Jesus dwells, and there it dwells in me. Mercy and truth and righteousness and peace most richly meet in Jesus Christ, the King of grace, in whom I stand complete. 

And this is grace: an invitation to be beautiful. 

Love, 
Lauralicious