Grace

These words from Ann Voskamp* arrived in my inbox the other day, but I only read them this morning:

Every ungracious moment means someone doesn’t understand grace.

And I thought, this all makes sense.  When we don't understand grace, when we haven't been able to receive it--from others, from God (or whatever we believe in), from ourselves--then how can we be fully gracious?  

And then I thought, what kind of grace do I need to give myself so that I can extend it to others?

It reminds me of those words I've stumbled across a few dozen times: be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.



*you may notice I reference Voskamp a lot--it is because I connect to her words in a way I haven't found in faith writing in a long time.  also, I fall for her words because she is a poet even in her prose.  the whole post, though it's more like a journal, really, can be found here

[image of downtown Louisville, looking out from The Henry Clay, where my best friend got married on the first of June in a ceremony full of grace and joy and crazy gorgeous flowers...and a heart-swelling sunset outside.]