In the Christian life all is of grace from the very beginning to the very end.
That is the message, that is the doctrine, that is the principle.
~ MARTYN LLOYD-JONES, Spiritual Depression
“Why not?”
Is that what joy is?
Abandon?
The “why not?” moments?
- Letting go of false restraints that tie you earthbound
- Throwing yourself into the true Known of the unknown
- Saying “yes!” to His offers of grace.
That’s how I broke my arm.
It was the weekend of the worst ice storm in memory to hit north Alabama, February 1996.
But not me.
I was warm and happy inside, only venturing out as official Icicle Photographer.
Until I decided...
“Why not? Why not pull the sled with Morgan? Wouldn’t that be fun?”
But upon barely clearing our front door, I slipped on ice.
And fell. Badly.
My left arm and wrist bones no longer aligned.
I felt no joy in abandon.
My “why not?” turned into “what was I thinking?”
Slowly, carefully, by the grace of God, Jeff drove over sheets of ice to the hospital a county away. I tried to be brave but I was scared.
Would I ever be able to use my left hand again?
My first broken bones, age 33.
But joy showed up.
When offers of grace came in recovery, I said, “Why not?”
- It was in friends folding my towels.
- It was in a husband washing my hair.
- It was in my mom and mother-in-law making meals.
Joy was where it had always been—not in activities,
but in grace.
The Creator—who made ice and bones and doctors—unwrapped grace in gifts I wouldn’t have opened otherwise.
Abandoning myself to “Why not?” still doesn’t come naturally.
But joy is found there—in the abandon to Grace.
~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~
More graces to count...
# 388—396
...bones that healed...stories with happy endings
...memories of grace...grace to remember
...new used book in the mailbox...free samples sent to Kindle
...10 pages a day in Bonhoeffer...20 pages a day in Unbroken
...not living during World War 2
* * *
17 comments:
Great story and examples of grace....love the photo...cute! God bless!
I loved this post! Thanks for sharing that story!
What a sweet story. A bad situation having some good memories and lessons learned. I bet your mom was like mine. There in a minute and knew just what I needed. I remember the different times. My husband has always been a good nurse too.
Yes, Brenda. Mama was always there to help, doing whatever she could. And especially with the kids. She really loved all our children. I hate that she’s missing out on Lane’s grandson, her first great-grandson. She would have been as crazy about little Alexander as we all are.
amen! great post. i am blessed to have visited you.
thanks for sharing!
hugs,
peggy aplSEEDS
Loved this post. The way you described the "graces otherwise not found" if you had not broken your arm is so true. It also made me think of my own fall on ice when my daughter had just turned one. My parents were visiting and gave my then husband and I time together. We lived on a lake that had frozen and had just taken our daughter for a walk on the ice (this was a deep lake that frozen solid and used for ice fishing all winter in the NE) While I was giving my parents instructions (they did not need, of course) my then husband was tired of waiting on me and took off with a friend on his ice boat! When I realized he left without me, I stamped my foot in frustration and yup, lost my balance on the slippy ice and fell on my wrist and broke it. Mom took my daughter home with her for a week cause I could not change her diapers and such with one hand. Good thing they only lived 30 minutes away! That was the longest week without her. Thank you for such a lovely comment on my blog. Blessings,
Lynn
I love this line "The Creator—who made ice and bones and doctors—unwrapped grace in gifts" Awesome post....great reminder that grace is the ultimate gift. You shine Lisa....☺
I enjoyed your post today. It reminds me of the Twila Paris song: How Beautiful Is the Body of Christ. God uses people to pour out His grace in times of need!
I love stories of finding joy in unexpected places! Thanks for sharing yours!
So true that there are graces in trial we wouldn't experience any other way, Funny, though, I still find myself hoping to avoid trial. :-) Thankfully He knows best.
Hey! I remember making you a meal when this happened. Ha ha. It was one of the very first times ever I took anyone a meal... I felt very grown-up. ;-)
Brenda,
I remember that too. The first meal of several that you’ve blessed me with. You are definitely very grown-up now. :-)
His grace knows no limits. Friends and family to help in time of need is certainly one of his blessings. I have slipped on ice more than once and ended up on my backside in a split second. Thankfully no bones were ever broken.
Blessings,
Charlotte
This is my favorite line: Joy was where it had always been—not in activities,
but in grace.
Perhaps that is one more defining difference between joy and happiness. It's not about stuff or activities. It's all about grace.
Such a wonderful telling of a story we can all relate to and learn from. I love this: "unwrapped grace in gifts I wouldn’t have opened otherwise." Such a graceful way of seeing the parts of our story we might have written differently if it were up to us--and maybe after we've observed the grace in them, we wouldn't change a thing!
Great post. I try to never turn down a helper.
You mentioned the broken arm once before. I enjoyed reading the story and blessings behind it, though I'm sorry for the pain and inconvenience it entailed. There were plenty of injuries in the worse-than-usual ice here last winter, too. What a nice memory of both your mothers supporting you as you healed, too.
I liked getting to know this part of you in this post.
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