Grace Bridge

God is a listening God. He listens to us as we talk to him in a gentle conversation. He listens to us when we cry out to him in anguish. The Psalmist says, “Does he who implanted the ear not hear?” (Psalm 94:9 NIV). God  listens to us because he is a gracious God. He does not have to listens to us. We do not deserve that God listens to us. He does so purely out of grace. I am blessed because God listens to my heart – both when it wants to please him and when it wants to go other ways.

Do  we extend this grace of listening to others?  Do we really listen to  them? There is a difference between hearing and listening. We can hear the words that come out of another person’s mouth, but do we really hear what they say and feel?   Henry David Thoreau said, “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” We are so busy with our own agendas that we rarely attend to what others are saying.  Attend is defined as: direct one’s thought; pay heed; to be present and ready to give service.  So grace giving in listening is making a commitment to truly attend to others when they talk to us just as God attends to us when we talk to him.

Within the last 15 months I have had two complete knee replacements.  I’m certainly glad that I have only two knees . I just returned from the hospital where one of my good friends joined the bionic club and had knee replacement surgery also.  As we were talking before he went into surgery, my friend said that he had put off the surgery for a long time, but that the pain got so bad that it was now time to “just do it”. I could truly relate. When you cannot walk to the back of a grocery store to get a gallon of milk without your knee being in excrutiating pain, it is time to do something. As I drove home from the hospital today, I began to think about God’s grace through medial science. What if I had lived in the 18th century s and my knees totally deteriorated like they did in the 21st century? What choices would I have? Basically I would have to just live with the pain.  I also thought of all the other modern medical marvels that have been developed since my birth.  So, I found myself praising God for his grace that allowed me to be born when I was.

I also began to think about God’s grace that allowed me to be born in the USA into the middle-class family. What if I was born in a country where simple medical technology is unknown to the common people? What about where the closest doctor may be days away?  What about in our own country where there are those who truly cannot afford medical care?  Are we so concerned about the political focus on the recent controversial healthcare law in our country that we miss its original intent – helping those who truly cannot afford to get medical help.  I wonder if we are withholding grace from those who do not have proper medical care. If we are committed to following Christ by “giving to the least of these”….  If we truly want to be grace givers…   Then how can we extend God’s grace to those who do not have proper medical care? When it comes to doctors and medicine, are we being grace livers, but not grace givers?

I was sitting in Starbucks drinking a latte and reading, when one of my favorite songs came over the sound system. As I sat back, sipped on my latte, and listened to Patsy Cline sing “Crazy”, I realized that it was a moment of simple pleasure.  We are so caught up in going and doing that we often miss the grace of simple pleasures.  I believe our creator intends for us to enjoy life and one way we can enjoy it is to capture moments of simple pleasure and live in gratitude for them. Whether it is a walk with our spouse or one of our children or grandchildren, a well-written novel, a favorite song, a beautiful sunset/sunrise, or a skinny-no foam latte; I believe God wants us to sink down into the moment and truly enjoy it.  In the beginning God created all things and said that they were good. They were made by his hand for his pleasure. Then he created the first man and woman and what was made for God’s pleasure became a source for our pleasure.  There is danger, however, in missing simple pleasures altogether.  It is easy to get so focused on our obligations and commitments that we do not take the time to enjoy those simple pleasures in life.  The “living God’s grace” answer to not missing simple pleasures is to look for at least one simple pleasure to enjoy each day and then enjoy it as you celebrate his grace.  I wonder where I will find my simple pleasure tomorrow?