I am at the Passion Conference (www.268generation.com) this weekend in Washington D.C. Am am without my family, but only without their physical presence. They are definitely with me.
I knew God would speak to me this weekend, I just knew it. I have a full day ahead of me where I am sure he will speak more great things into me, but if he doesn’t He has definitely spoken to me something amazing already.
During a time of singing near the end of the day he explained to me where he has placed grace in my life. I am fully aware that I am unaware how big his grace is. I am fully aware that I do not understand how much sin he has had to cover in my life. Grace is something that I have struggled to get my head around my whole life…I mean the depth of it. I best understand grace as God giving me something I do not deserve and mercy as God not giving me what I do. But last night he showed me a new face to grace (actually 5 new faces to grace). God showing me this led to a time of weeping, it evens wells up in me now as I type. But this was a joyous sob.
So here’s what Grace looks like:
Daughter 1: God told me, “You get to be her father! You are so lucky.” She is so amazing. Something that just makes me cry tears of great joy and pride about her is that she has befriended the friendless at her school. She doesn’t understand yet how big of a deal that is. As I sat last night covered in tears I saw how much she resembles Jesus. I am so proud of her. I love her. And I get to be her dad…SO TAKE THAT WORLD! She is my daughter! That’s God grace. I sure don’t deserve to have such an amazing daughter, but I do.
Son 1: One again the voice of God said, “You get to be his father! You are so lucky.” He is such an awesome kid. He is full of passion (mostly for sports right now just like me when I was 8 yrs. old). He is animated. He is funny. He is an amazing kid for sure. I am pretty hard on him sometimes. I don’t want to be a dad that in anyway messes up his amazing spirit. Tonight, I got to the bottom of why I am tough on him sometimes….it’s because I want him to be so passionate for God. I want him to be a brave warrior for Jesus. I want him to be a leader that carries the same kind of passion, animation and humor that he carries now. So sometimes I overreact to his mess-ups because I see them as obstacles to the great kid that I know he is. He is an awesome boy and I want to be an encourager to him. I love him. And I get to be his dad…SO TAKE THAT WORLD! He is my son! That’s God grace. I sure don’t deserve to have such an amazing son, but I do.
Daughter 2: “Smiley”. That’s enough said really. She is just one big smile and I love her! Her smile makes my day when I see it, it brightens my day. It is like sunshine to me. I pray that the paths that she chooses in life always make that smile bigger and never take it away. I love her. And I get to be her dad…SO TAKE THAT WORLD! She is my daughter! That’s God grace. I sure don’t deserve to have such an amazing daughter, but I do.
Daughter 3: Ally is so beautiful (All my kids are really beautiful kids…they get it all from their mother). She is the little girl who has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger. When I look at her, I just smile. When I see her I see God’s beauty. I pray that as she grows, her inward beauty makes her outward beauty look small. I pray that she would have a beautiful heart for Jesus. I love her. And I get to be her dad…SO TAKE THAT WORLD! She is my daughter! That’s God grace. I sure don’t deserve to have such an amazing daughter, but I do.
Susan: I have always seen Susan as a picture of God’s grace in my life. She is an amazing wife. God showed me last night that Susan loves the Brad that God has created. She loves me, the me that God has redeemed and purposed for this world. She has looked past all of the “dead Brad” that God has done away with. Without Susan I am not Brad. She is part of me. She is within me like the blood in my veins, she is one with me in life. I couldn’t be any luckier, any more thankful. I love her. And I get to be her husband…SO TAKE THAT WORLD…SORRY GUYS, I GOT THE #1! She is my wife! I can’t believe it! That’s God grace. I sure don’t deserve to have such an amazing wife, but I do.
God…Thank you for your grace! Thank you for 5 faces of grace that change my life.
2 responses so far ↓
robshoaff // February 27, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Dude- you are SO lucky, and as I read your blog, I smile, knowing that we are so alike. Christ has completely done away with the “old” in our lives and has given us His unmatchless grace. I have 5 faces too, not too unlike yours, and am reminded every day of how much I have and how much I do not deserve. My youngest daughter’s name is “Grace” for some very specific reasons. Just before she blessed our world, we lost a child (you remember…you were there – by the way, I’ll never forget your kindness and love for us during that time). If that baby had come to us, we would have never experienced His grace…trust in Him in a difficult time, strenghtening from His love, the warmth and assurace through His embrace, and of course, Grace herself. I am so lucky – she is my daughter! So take that world!!!
I always knew there was something different in us – between us. Maybe that’s why we were always such good friends…in spite of me being me. Not to puff you up, but you have been another face of grace for me. Thanks for taking me camping – I still think you tricked me, but I’m SO glad I went. And your mom will always have an extremely special place in my heart. Lasagna or not, she is a face of grace to me…..”So, what’s the BEST thing that’s happened to you today?”
Today – for me – it has been God’s grace revealed in so many different ways that words cannot express and this blog cannot contain.
bhammondstudy // February 27, 2008 at 8:07 pm
It’s so funny how we see each other. I see you as a face of grace in my life because of how you just accepted me as a friend when I was a real loser of a friend for so long in high school. Pretty awesome. No doubt the Spirit has been at work in our lives even more than we ever gave Him credit for. We may actually turn out to be decent followers of Christ given another 20 years! Peace bro.