Grace. What is grace?
Something you say before each meal
A girl’s name
Biblical grace, God’s grace, His mercy and love
What is grace to you? To me, it’s the gracious hand of God in my life in the most unanticipated, grief filled moments. It’s when God held me up so I could stand. Or in reality, was it so I could simply get up out of bed to go to work? Or to deal with the day to day of simply living when grief grabbed hold of my heart?
Have you lost someone or something that matters to you? Most of us have – or will – experience loss in our lives, whether it’s a person, a pet, a promotion, a position at work or a promise broken. It’s never easy, even when loss is anticipated. Why do I ask this question?
I simply want to share my journey to inspire, empower and equip others… You too can find grace in the midst of grief and calm in the chaos of life.
In 2004, I lost Bette, my younger sister and a brilliant PhD nurse, to suicide…
In 2008, I lost Kyle, my 20 year old college-aged son, to drugs and alcohol, and
In 2013, I was in the grandstands cheering on Amby Burfoot, my cousin, as he ran the 45th anniversary of winning the Boston Marathon, only to see the first bomb explode directly across the street…
And I wanted to make time for the people who matter most to me.
Has something rocked your world, making you want – or need – to change?
Are you looking for an example as you:
Work through your grief?
Learn to LIVE again?
What did I do on my journey to move from grief to grace?
I leaned on God – heavily! And I looked up and out of the darkness within me to find light and love surrounding me. Looking inward simply H U R T too much; I found when I turned to the Word of God, I was comforted.
And I READ, and READ, and READ some more. I had to soak up every word I could find about grief. WHY? I had no idea what this phase of my life was “supposed” to look like or how I was supposed to “get better” so I turned to the stories of others who had lost a dearly loved one and learned to live again.
And baby step by tiny little baby step, verse by verse, story by story, His light flickered within me. Today, it overflows and I thank God for the gift of His grace. I also looked to friends who had loved and lost. If they could live and love again, I figured I could too, even if it was a slow journey. That’s how I moved from grief to grace.
My prayer for you is that God shines the brightest light in your darkest moments and shows up when you need him most. If I can turn the corner from broken to blessed, from grief to grace, there is hope that you can too. I don’t pretend that grieving is easy, but my story, as told in Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace, proves that healing is possible.
Would you like to enter to enter the giveaway for a copy of Susan’s book, Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace? Please leave the comment “I want to read Dance With Jesus” below. One winner will be selected and notified within a week.
Oh, by the way. You can join the social chatter about this book for YOUR chance to win $100. What would you do with $100?
It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.
1-Post a book cover photo of Dance With Jesus: From Grief to Grace on Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook (YES, this image COUNTS!)
2-Include hashtag #DanceWithJesus
3-tag @SusanBMead
POST NOW! I’ll notify a winner on August 31.
My dear friend, how did I find grace? God shined His brightest light on my darkest moments and I felt His comforting presence.
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, ~ Psalm 30:11(NLT)
Join the dance ~ #DanceWithJesus
© Susan B Mead 2015. All rights reserved.
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