His Unfolding Grace

The little one was so excited to show me his mouth. As he opened it wide and smiled at me, I first thought what is he wanting me to see? Then I saw it. A gap in the bottom row of teeth. He was so proud. Why?

Emmett has recently turned 5. He has a big brother and two sisters. For some reason He always wants to be the same as his big brother, Freddie. If he is not wanting to be the same as his big brother, then he is wanting to beat him. NOT beat him up but better him in sport, in trying, in anything really. He has this very competitive spirit within him. Mum and Dad do not encourage him in this, it is just him. This losing of his first tooth made him feel like he was the same as Freddie. It was as if it was an initiation for him, a coming of age.

I had to laugh. Smiling at him, for he was so cute and proud of himself (even though he had nothing to do with the loss of the tooth.) But also smiling at him for being excited about getting that bit older.

Oh dear, how long will that last for? Excitement when we become a teenager? 16? 21? Adulthood? The world seems to get to an age then it states that now we have reached the pinnacle of health, success, brainpower and it is all downhill from there. Is it really?

 In Job it says,

 Wisdom belongs to the aged and understanding to the old.

Job 12:12 NLT

I just recently had wisdom shared with me by an older man whose expertise I sought in an area of my work. Something I did not know much about but needed some good worked out experience from someone who had done it already. It helped me in making an important decision.

I love gardening but am still learning what soil to use for certain plants. How to grow them to get the best fruit, best growth, best……. Who do I turn to? People who have the experience (Often older than me) and have the knowledge that I seek.

I may… ok I’ll face the truth… I am getting older in my body. Not as able as years gone by but I feel internally I am just beginning to have knowledge about life. I’m just starting.

It is described it so well in Second Corinthians:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV

The Message bible states:

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.

2 Corinthians 4:16 MSG

Oh, do you hear that? Every day we have HIS unfolding GRACE making us a new life!

The start of this chapter 4 is titled TREASURE IN CLAY JARS. So appropriate. We are all treasures in a body that will get old, cracked, but what we have inside is precious.

So let us be excited like 5-year-old Emmett and smile with our missing teeth (due to old age, ha ha!) and show each other the true treasure that is precious inside of each of us and that is US and HIS unfolding GRACE.

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups. If you would like more information please click HERE.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Who do you approach for wisdom in your life? What kinds of things have you asked for guidance about? Was their wisdom helpful?

Have you been able to share your life experience with others? Have you been encouraging?

Do you sense God’s unfolding grace in you as you are getting older? Who can you share this grace with?