Waves of Grace to Grace

I can’t believe it’s been two years since my sweet Danni died. She was only 19 when brain cancer consumed her body, you can see her story at www.dannifrain.blogspot.com if you like, it’s a blog that I did during that time and made into a book. It’s there as an eternal memorial to her. Since then, we’ve moved to Florida in effort to start a new chapter in our lives.

I’ve heard that her grave was covered in flowers and gifts as our community of family and friends remembered her life. That blessed me greatly, but then Danni was unforgettable.

Currently, we’ve been meeting with a wonderful couple here and Thanksgiving day was a tragic one for them as well. She lost her daughter. As I spoke with her on the phone a few days later, I was encouraged by what she had to say. I thought about how the grace of God had been so real to us as Grace (her name) spoke words of praise for the Father.

It was amazing to me that just the week before as we met for Sunday worship in our home, we discussed God’s love for us and how he makes us get into the boat like his disciples and go to the other side. (See Matthew 14:22, Matthew 8:23, Matthew 9:1 these are just a few)

As I was looking for scriptures, I was totally amazed by the number of times Jesus got into a boat and crossed to the other side with his disciples following or in other cases, he made them go on their own and joined them later.

It’s so very hard to think that God has a plan and purpose with all this crossing of many waters, some seas are so difficult to traverse, but he does. He wants us to grow and mature. He wants us to see him for who he really is in circumstances so dire that only he can rescue us. He wants to get us to a place that we can see his glory.

Grace, my friend, is in a boat once again crossing to the other side and we are with her. The waves are crashing furiously but she has shown me God’s glory within her shining brightly.

Yesterday morning as we sat on the beach near the ocean we discussed that in times of deepest distress, God will give us what we need to endure and that is so true. It’s at those times in life that he comes walking to us across the sea or he stands in the boat and calms the waves.

“Do not fear, it is I,” he says to us for he is always in control or “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” for he is always with us. Nothing happens to us without his knowledge or consent and it is always for our good though we may not see it though the storm.

“He loves us, oh, how he loves us, oh, how he loves us, oh, how he loves us…” is the song rolling through my heart, may these words comfort you in your crossing today. He’s there…he knows…he cares…he’s preparing you for others to see his glory through you and you will make it safely to the other side.