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September 30, 2020In college, before I had discerned that I am not called to marriage, I had been dating a man who was not Catholic. This was a great trial of Faith for me as I began to worry about all this would mean for a future family. At only 19 years old, as I wondered how I could possibly raise a Catholic family alone, my sister of seven kids eased my worries by reminding me, God will give you the grace you need when the time comes, but not a moment before. He didn’t give her the grace to raise seven kids when she only had one. My worry was useless. Not only had I not yet discerned living this life with a non-Catholic husband, but I also didn’t need the grace for raising a family yet. Worry doesn’t give grace, it drains the moment of grace. All my worry did was make my life more miserable.
I experienced a similar phenomenon recently, when I was astounded at the amount of grace God gave me, in what appeared to be very little matters. My family knows me as the babysitter who loves to play with the kids, but will not change a stinky diaper. I tried one time to help my sister, and I gagged so bad I almost threw up while my two year old niece just laughed and laughed! Now, as I’ve taken on the precious gift of fostering tiny kittens, kitten poop has become a regular part of my life. I have never been so sure of God’s grace as when I cuddled my four week old babies only to discover copious amounts of poop on my arm, shirt, and couch. I couldn’t help but say out loud, “Nothing in my entire life has prepared me for this moment.” And yet, without missing a beat I got up and dealt with it. Life didn’t need to prepare me. God had me covered when I needed it.
While these may seem to be very small grace filled matters, God wants to give all of us grace beyond telling for every moment of our lives. No situation is too small for our Lord to help us. In fact, the smaller the situation the more God wants to help us! He wants us to trust Him with every little detail of our lives.
It’s not always easy to accept help from others, even God. We live in an independent world where accepting help from others makes us feel weak. But, we are weak! And God loves our weakness. As St. Paul reminds us, “For when I am weak, I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) The more we realize how weak we are, the more we depend on Him. He loves to impart grace to those who seek it in every moment of their lives. By accepting our weaknesses, we are actually made stronger. For only the prideful refuse help when they need it.
The more we are open to the grace of the moment, the more we are also able to be a channel of grace to others. What a deal! Not only do we get wisdom and strength from the Creator of the universe, but He also grants us the ability to help others receive grace as well!
Basically, grace is amazing, hence the song, “Amazing Grace.” We can accept grace and channel grace for others. By accepting grace we are strengthened. By accepting grace we learn how to rely on God and others more. By accepting grace, we bring God great joy, and what is better than that?
