And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
— 2 Corinthians 9:8 NASB

Yes, Lord, yes,
pour all Your grace on me.

Your bucket full,
tilted, and gushing free.

When I am irritated,
may grace spill abundantly.

When I plow ahead
because life demands it, only to get it wrong.

In difficult circumstances,
complicated relationships, and conversations that drain.

When others look at me, may grace
be all they see . . . and receive.

I was caught off guard by a conversation topic I didn’t see coming. I’m a processor and don’t do great thinking and expressing myself in the moment. I need time to stew, especially when dealing with the unexpected. This time, I didn’t get a heads-up and hurried through a reply.

Life sometimes catches us off guard. We may not like what comes out of our mouths. What spills out will be what’s been stored in our hearts. Luke 6:45 tells us, “. . . For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (NIV).

Are we full of grace? Have we let God fill us so we’re prepared for those unexpected moments?

On my own, I cannot reply to the demands of life in God-honoring ways. I am too easily irritated and quickly knocked off balance. I need to be filled with the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ, all the time.

Accepting God’s grace for our failings fills our bucket full so we’re prepared to extend grace to others. It just happens.

Are you walking in God’s grace? Have you accepted His forgiveness for your mistakes? He is a generous God and longs to forgive and walk in close communion with His children. His grace frees us to love others well.

Life doesn’t have to be so heavy. Accept God’s grace . . . and let it overflow on others.

Lord, thank you for the grace You so generously pour on me. Help me to extend that same generous grace to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

photo by Patty Perkins, Vail, Colorado