For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

- Ephesians 2:8

If you are still following along reader- you are learning that our works and our actions do not grant us grace.

We do not deserve the grace and the love he extends freely to His people.

I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that I cannot earn it!

I am grateful that I am filled to overflowing by his grace and his love so that I may accomplish what he has planned for me with grit and strength that can only come from Him.

Have you ever been to a baseball game? Little league is my favorite to watch! Especially when the kids are in their first year of kid pitch. My two boys spent a lot of time on those dirt fields covered in magic baseball dirt and grass stains spitting out giant chewed wads of sunflower seeds.

I love kid pitch as this is the year all the dads who are used to being the pitcher or the T setup squad, are stuck in the dugout coaching from their seat.

Every time a kid is put in as the Pitcher- you can almost immediately feel the tension rise in the stand as that kids’ parents’ sit-up a little straighter and immediately start imagining their son playing in the major leagues because who doesn’t want to be a pitcher? (Keep following- I do have a point!)

In these games there are always two types of parents- the kind who immediately start yelling and coaching every pitch their kid throws OR the parents cheering loudly and encouraging their kid to ‘just keep trying’.

I like to imagine us as the kid on the mound and God as the encouraging and grace-filled parent that is standing by the fence repeating “You got this, keep trying.” Or “You are getting there, keep going- I am proud of you!”

It is normally those kids who seem to do the best. The kids who are encouraged and shown grace even when they may not be pitching a perfect game.

God is cheering you on- even when you don’t get it all right. It is that encouragement and grit that we find in Jesus that makes us endure the hardships or the missed opportunities in life.

• Reflect on a time when you felt most encouraged. How did that shape your relationship with your encourager?

Prayer: Father today let it be your voice we hear when we feel discouraged. You are cheering us on and reminding us to never give up. You are the perfect example of how grace improves our grit and our will to keep pushing on. We will always win with you on our side! Thank you, Lord, for showing us grace that is undeserving.

With Love,
Audri Marie