Grace is a marvelous thing and so often misunderstood, especially by those who do not believe. What is this grace that Christians always speak of, what does it really mean to receive grace from God?

 Perhaps the best definition I have ever read is below; taken from a book I recently read and attributed to Paul Zahn:

“Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable…. The cliché definition of grace is “unconditional love.” It is a true cliché, for it is a good description of the thing. Let’s go a little further, though. Grace is a love that has nothing to do with you, the beloved. It has everything and only to do with the lover. Grace is irrational in the sense that it has nothing to do with weights and measures. It has nothing to do with my intrinsic qualities or so-called “gifts” (whatever they may be). It reflects a decision on the part of the giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved, that negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold…. Grace is one-way love.”

 Word pictures are often helpful in portraying truths. Imagine you are young and single, and you must marry. You have two choices; you do not personally know either of the choices. The first choice is young and vibrant and in appearance is more than you ever dreamed, they are knowledgeable of all the things that will enhance your life and are perfectly suited to be the most marvelous spouse. They have the most beautiful singing voice, they can dance, and they can cook, physically healthy, in fact upon examination you can find nothing wrong with them at all.  The second choice is weak, and deformed, ghastly in appearance, and is unable to contribute anything at all to the marriage. They have no voice, they cannot hear, they cannot read, they cannot write, In fact if you choose this person, you will have to provide for all of their needs, you will need to feed them, carry them, bathe them.

 Which one would you choose? If you are like anyone else, you would choose the vibrant beautiful person, the one who can add their skillset to yours and can provide for your needs and desires……but grace, the type of grace God displays to us is like you choosing the second person.  That second person can offer you nothing at all; in fact they have not one thing to offer.

That is how God’s grace is.

 Take it a step further.

  Imagine a person that you have done terrible things to. You have murdered their family, you have stolen all that they own, you have lied about them, destroyed their reputation, burned their house to the ground, killed their livestock, ground all that they ever loved into the dirt……. All of a sudden you find yourself under their power, helpless before them. Justly even you know that you deserve death, you expect it, your only fear is how terrible this death may be, in light of all the evil that you did against this person. No one will judge this person harshly for killing you, everyone is in agreement that you deserve it, justice cried out for it…….and yet as you lay on the ground at the feet of the one you wronged……you feel a touch on your shoulder, a hand pulls you to your feet. He hugs you, he places a robe about your shoulders, puts a cup of wine in your hand, sits you down at the best seat at his table……….would you be shocked?

This is grace….this is what God means when He talks about grace.

 You do not receive grace from God because you are good, or because your sins are “not so bad”, it has nothing at all to do with you. You just like me, stand before God clothed in rags, covered in filth, we have nothing to offer Him, nothing He needs, and in fact we have wronged Him time and time again. He is rightly able to utterly destroy us; it would be justice for we have fallen short of everything He decreed. But He does not give justice…He gives grace, wonderful, marvelous grace.

Grace like a river….” There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Mystery of mysteries
That You could love
Someone like me
In your hands eternity
And yet you have the time for me

A love so undeserved
You held nothing in reserve
Heaven played its symphony
I took your hand and you rescued me

Grace like a river
Is flowing down
Is flowing down
Grace like a river
It's flowing down to me

Staring at my history
Was all alone but never free
The sands of time have let me see
Your faithful shadow next to me

A love so unreserved
I did nothing to deserve
Love so free but what's the cost
To carry this old rugged cross

I love You, I thank you
I'm nothing without your
Grace like a river

"but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced." Mark 4:19

This tree has fascinated me since the moment I noticed it, it was last year some time, when I was standing near the pedestrian sign and noticed foliage coming out the top, as I examined the sign post carefully I could see a tiny skinny little tree trunk, coming all the way up the sign and out the top. Amazing how the tree has managed to survive. I can see its struggle more clearly this year, as the top of the tree is dying and has no leaves.

 The tree is fighting to live, fighting to succeed, fighting to break free, but it is tangled up, caged in, weighed down by the tight restrictions of the sign that encompass it.

 Each day I pass by this little tree, a daily witness to its struggle, its slow death. To be honest looking at it makes me sad, I long to cut it free and see it live. Sadly it has become dependent on the very thing that holds it prisoner and will eventually cause its death. The trunk inside the sign is very skinny, and can no longer bear the full weight of the tree, the upper portions sticking out the top of the sign are thicker and if I were able to cut the signpost away, the tree would buckle and fall under its own weight.

 We are often like this tree, we humans. We struggle to live, struggle to reach for the sun, struggle to make something of ourselves, and yet so often we are choked by the cares of this world, by our search for money, sex and power. Worries overcome us, loss devastates us, we retreat to the comfort of drugs, alcohol or other forms of bondage to sustain ourselves and we become further enslaved and unable to break free. When we do manage to break free of our own strength we often crumble beneath the weight of life and fall to the ground.

 If I compare this tree to the one nearest to it, of the same species, the difference is astounding. The tree compared is healthy and strong, its trunk is thick, and its roots deep, its branches reach up to heaven and dance and sway in the wind. It is vibrant, and it blesses. Birds seek sanctuary in its branches, creatures and humans seek safety from the heat in its shade. It looks as if it can withstand high winds without difficulty, and it will stand so year after year, unlike its counterpart trapped in the clutching grip of the sign.

 When I gaze upon these trees I see the souls of those who trust in Christ, who have strong faith contrasted with the souls of those who have no faith and trust. One flourishes despite the storms of life, the other withers and dies.

 “This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:5-8

Lord, help us to break free of the chains that bind us, to set our eyes upon You, the Author and Finisher of our faith, may our faith in You be stronger than the cares of this world. May we remember always who You are. The struggles of life block our vision; we so easily forget that You are the One who spoke but a word and the storm ceased, You are the One that said “come forth” and a man dead three days got up and walked out of his tomb. You are the One who looked at a mass of hungry people, felt compassion for them, and fed them with but a few fish and a couple loaves of bread. There was not one thing, not one situation, not one adversity that overwhelmed You. You delivered the undeliverable, from bondage to demons, from leprosy, from blindness, from death. May all who are caught up in chains look to You and be set free.

 If I had to choose a word or phrase to describe Cindy Perez, it would be kind; she was a kind person with a loving spirit. We first met while writing tributes for our fallen warriors, on a Facebook page called Military Wall of Honor. Writing tributes for these beautiful young people, killed in war, was difficult; it placed a great weight upon the soul. Our tributes were carefully researched, with a desire to know the person who died in our service and a desire to make our readers know them. We sought with all our hearts to give honor to the fallen, and inspire within the hearts of our readers, some measure, some knowledge of the terrible price that had been paid. Cindy was faithful in her writing, and you could feel her love and mercy when you read her words.

While serving with Cindy as a writer, there were difficulties, the kind of difficulties that always arise when you put people together, and especially when it is doing such an emotionally draining task. During these times we talked often. Most of us vented our frustration, but Cindy rarely did, I cannot recall ever having her say or agree with a bad word about someone. She tried to find the good in them, and tried to show everyone else.

 The time came for my own son to deploy into harm’s way. Having written the tributes for so many, needless to say, I was afraid, I knew by my research and writing and the research and writing of my fellow tribute writers, the reality of war and what my son was stepping into. Cindy prayed faithfully for my son, and she encouraged me in every way she could. She helped me to get through the deployment and helped me along this path of learning to trust God.

 I regret not getting to know her better; I regret never having the opportunity to meet in person, to sit together over a cup of coffee and just chat.

 I do not grieve for her for I know where she now resides. My friend Cindy has finished her race and she has been welcomed home. For her there are no more sorrows, no more tears, no more cancer and she is with Him, and there truly is no better place for one to be. I envy her a bit, but my race is not yet over, so I will run on, and I will use all that she taught me to run it better, until one day my time will come, my race will be done and then we will have plenty of time to sit and chat and to get to know one another in person.

Thank you Cindy, for the love and the grace you freely handed out, thank you for the prayers you sent out, for me, for my son, for my family. Your family has been in my prayers that God will grant them all grace and peace and that they will know, as I know, that you are okay, you are more than okay. The Healing Rain has come.

   I have come to the understanding that vampires do exist. You see, I work among them. Popular fantasy would have you believe that vampires are beautiful creatures that just happen to suck the blood from people. Although a few are still portrayed as evil, most are portrayed as very attractive, alluring, exciting creatures. Well the truth of the matter is rather boring, the truth of the matter is that vampires look just like you and me. As a matter of fact you might be one. Or you may be only a part time vampire, or one that dallies in the art from time to time. Vampires are not interested in your blood as popular folk lore would suggest, instead they seek to suck life from you, to leech joy from everyone around them, they magnify all that is wrong with the world and they tend to begin with the very small things that most of us don't even bother to get riled up about.

 I think it's safe to say that everyone has had their vampire moments. Sadly some people live there all the time.

  The vampires that I have to co-exist with, seek to sow discord, they are highly dissatisfied with everything, they complain and they seek others to join in with their complaints, and they question everything, they scream unfair at the top of their voices when asked to perform some task they are paid to perform. One can walk into work singing a song, and they will do their very best to have you muttering curses upon exit. They are the sort of people who do not see their glass as full, nor half full, in fact they have no glass at all. They can walk through the gates, past the greenest grass, heedless of the singing birds, unaware of the bright blue sky, they see nothing good at all in anything. The reek of bitterness and gall, and they abhor happiness of any kind. They will attack the weak like a pack of coyotes upon an injured cat. The more the injured one seeks to defend itself, the more brutal the attack. They do not cease until the joyful one is either in tears or raging anger.

 I ponder often how this can be, how can folks live such joyless negative lives? I wonder if they ever laugh? Do they ever have conversations about positive things? Is there anything right going on in their lives. I wonder how they came to be the way they are.............and then He speaks to my heart, He shows me my lack of patience in traffic, the times I complain, He shows me my "if only's" and "what if's". He reminds me of the things I have thought, the judgements I have made, not in the past, but this very day, and I realize that apart from Him, it is highly possible that I too could be a vampire. In fact, in some moments I have been one. I have sucked the joy from someone by the manner in which I responded to them, I have made jabs at things I disagree with, subtlety undermining, I have complained, I have griped. Although it has many years since it was to the  extent that the full fledged grown up vampire does, it puts me on that path. A path my heart does not want to walk upon, but my flesh often does.

 Thankfulness and praise are the antidote to becoming a vampire. The one who gives thanks in all things does not fall into vampire ways, the one who lifts praise to the Most High does not suck life from others, but instead infuses life.

 Compassion and love are needed to defeat the full fledged vampire, if your heart is filled with compassion and your soul overflowing with love, the negativity tossed out by the vampire, the "teeth" they use to suck joy from your soul, are rendered impotent. Do not give in to anger, but instead be guided by wisdom. 

  Don't be a vampire. Sow peace when at all possible, keep a calm mind, speak only that which edifies or corrects with compassion. Be thankful for all that you have. Praise God for His grace and mercy toward you. Ask Him to search your heart and reveal any vampire tendencies hidden there.......And pray for the vampires.

 Popular fantasy got one thing right, if you want to defeat a vampire, you need the cross. By doing as our Lord commanded, we lift the cross up, and nothing can stand against it. If you are in a negative mood, if you are sucking the joy from everyone around you, try singing some hymns, try giving thanks for all that you have, try praising God for who He is and what He has done for you. You will find the vampire traits flee. If it is someone else sucking the joy, try praying for them, try talking to them with care and compassion. If you allow the Jesus to shine forth out of you, the vampire will flee. And if you find one that simply will not go away.....ask God what it is He is trying to teach you by allowing this joy sucker to be in your life.

 It would seem that I am not the only one who has pondered the joy sucking vampires. I found a blog post about it (link to full blog at bottom of post). Although I probably will not be burning my vampires, and most of mine are simply not ones I can walk away from, I did like very much the descriptive manner in which this blogger refers to joy vampires.

"If I’m going to live that life (spreading joy) , I have to guard my positive energy. If I allow Joy Vampires in, I won’t be able to do it. And I’m not just talking about them being in my life physically, I’m talking about allowing them space in my head as well -- that is where they are most stealth. Vampires you haven’t seen in twenty years could still be sucking your life’s blood simply through your thoughts. I have a personal remedy for ridding myself of vampires, and its simple, really.  I release them. I’ve held vampires captive in my head through my own anger -- an anger that sunk its hooks in and wouldn’t budge.  But here is the garlic, the stake through the heart, the silver bullet that finally worked: I wished them peace, healing, and I let them go. I also added a ritual, because I’m a concrete thinker, and like to do something physically to make clear what I’m doing. I write the vampires names on a piece of paper. I hold the paper in against my heart and say a loving prayer, letting them go. Then I burn the paper in my fireplace, and watch the wisps of smoke go upward, out the chimney, away from me.

“I wish you peace, I wish you peace…” I say until the smoke is gone.

 So tomorrow I will again go forth and deal with vampires, my desire is to lift up the cross and defeat the joy suckers. I pray the vampire I contend with tomorrow is not me.

"But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"

"Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life."