devotional by: Valorie Burton

Added: 06-25-2007

Celebrate Grace!

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

 

On a Sunday afternoon recently, I got stuck in a traffic jam near a red light I’d passed earlier in the day. As we neared the intersection, I could see several police cars, an ambulance, and a couple sitting in the median – the wife appeared to be pregnant and unhurt – looking on at emergency workers. From the position and the damage of the cars, it was hard to tell just how the accident had happened. One of the cars was surely totaled. I prayed a silent prayer of healing and recovery for those involved. As a police officer waved our car by, I saw a brief, but haunting image. It was the hands of an ambulance worker as he gently pulled a white sheet over the driver’s seat. The crash had been fatal.

Two more times that week, I found myself in traffic jams due to serious accidents at intersections I go through regularly. It was unsettling. “Is there a message here?” I thought. I realized that the message was simple and two-fold:

1) Be careful and pay attention when you are doing the routine things in life. It can be easy to take for granted your safety and security, but a moment of carelessness or distraction can have serious consequences.

2) Be thankful for life and the many times God has protected you even when you didn’t realize there was anything from which you needed to be protected.

I certainly don’t know what caused the accidents I encountered that week, but I do know that all of us have taken common risks that could have had dire consequences. "But for the grace of God, there go I", John Bradford said in the 16th century. I've had a few near misses in my life – potential crimes, car accidents and more – that could have been devastating. But God intervened and it is the only reason I am here.

This week, I challenge you to take a moment to be thankful for the power of grace.

Perhaps it was not your safety in jeopardy, but a decision you made that could have led to negative consequences. Yet you were given a second chance. Be thankful. Fill your heart with gratitude for where you are and how far you’ve come. Count your blessings daily. There may be a blessing you’re still waiting on, a dream that has yet to come to fruition. But there are so many more blessings you’ve already experienced. Focus on the abundance of grace in your life.

Secondly, slow down and pay attention in your everyday routine. Perhaps you regularly eat or talk on your phone while you drive. Maybe you forget to lock the doors or you are not as alert as you could be when you are outside at night. With the hectic pace of many lives, it can be easy to let your guard down, but I invite you to be intentional about how you go about your routine activities. Be thankful that even in times of carelessness and weakness, it is often grace that keeps us.

Prayer for the week: Lord, You told us to be watchful and alert. Help me to be quick to obey You in this daily, and please give me an appreciative heart for the protection You provide me always.

Certified life-coach Valorie Burton has created a 28-day confidence builder in her new release, Why Not You? 28 Days to Authentic Confidence (Random House, March 2007).  Why Not You will guide readers to transform their confidence through daily prayer, journaling, and a confidence builder. Valorie Burton is a professional certified coach and has a weekly e-newsletter that inspires thousands of subscribers. Organizations such as American Airlines, Toyota, and "O" Oprah Magazine have hired her as a speaker. She has conducted hundreds of interviews including InStyle, Self, Essence, Ebony, Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today and CNN. For more information, please visit www.valorieburton.com.