Today's Reflections for Ragamuffins, Brennan Manning:
Following surgery for prostate cancer, I walked (catheterized) every morning for an hour through our Old Algiers neighborhood in New Orleans with a new pair of glasses. One vital aspect of the postmortem life, it seems, is that everything gets piercingly important. You get stabbed by things, by flowers and babies, by the mighty Mississippi and the inner beauty of your wife, by the loveliness of a plethora of things.
And, of course, it all slowly fades…
The Gospels indicate, however, that at every moment of his life Jesus was aware that everything came from the love of God. He never took his life for granted by each moment received it as a free gift from his Abba.
The nameless gratitude that we feel after a narrow escape from injury or death, Jesus felt each morning as he rose from sleep. He lived without boredom, tranquilizers, or anesthesia, numb to neither pain nor the joy of the human experience. He was a man with his arms open, his chest uncovered, and his heart exposed; and so the wild world, gift of his prodigal Father, leaped into his eyes, ravished his ears, and pierced his heart.
Jesus said to the two disciples, “Come and see.” Come to me and see with my eyes, listen with my ears, and feel with my heart.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27.
THANK YOU Brennan Manning for taking THIS Sunday to JOLT me out of letting my awe of you fade! While reading my Reflections for Ragamuffins this morning, God again floored me in a way he only can by meeting me exactly where I am at. Manning’s explanation reminded me of how I felt in the storm of ALL that has just happened with Mom and how he used that to save not only her life, but our entire families.
I apologize for my lack of dedication to recognizing God’s grace and all I have to be thankful for every single day. I am re-committed to logging here the very way he continues to touch my life J
I am counting down the days (5 to be exact) until I get to go home and see Mom and the family over the 4th of July weekend! I can’t WAIT to give you all an update on her amazing progress! STAY TUNED!
Love,
Jessica
And now for my favorite question: Where have you seen God’s grace in your life today?