This morning, I was reading through my journal and came across an entry from August 2016. Our family had just experienced a major life transition and I was finding myself in a season that could have been fraught with anxiety and frustration. My top five strengths according to The Clifton Strength Finders Test are in this order: Communication (duh), Strategy, Includer, WOO (winning other over) and Belief. To put it simply, I’m a talker that likes to plan, wants to include everyone, and enjoys walking into a room and seeing who I can meet with a very strong sense of justice. Pretty much hits the nail on the head.

My communication and strategy strengths defiantly compliment each other, especially if I’m producing an event or just helping plan our family vacations. I like to know ahead of time when and where things will be, what we need, how we can accomplish whatever goal is in front of us and I like to “tell” other people how that’s gong to happen. Yes, growing up I was labeled bossy then through mentors, tons of failures, so, so,  much correction and maturity; that bossy weakness was traded for leadership strength, of which I’m still working on.

But, as we all know, with strengths come weakness and because I’m big on communication and planning I think that other people should be too. I’m all for “winging” it if needed, but that is always, always plan D, meaning the absolute last option. And should I feel that planning is lacking I will communicate it and usually because I’m frustrated, more often than not, that communication comes across with little grace.

So, two years ago as we were in the midst of some unknown variables, there were things that we could plan and control, and there where other things that we literally would not know until we stepped into the midst of the situation. I remember the feeling so well as read through that journal entry. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote:

I believe God has graced us for this time, to be calm, to have peace. Things that would normally bother me seem to be under “High Grace”. High Grace. That should be a goal for every day living. I think that grace is not settling for someone’s laziness or lack of urgency or continual mess ups, but High Grace gives you the ability to love past those things, to patiently correct what needs to be corrected, to provide the right tools needed for success and to know the difference between apathy and lack of knowledge. High Grace. I think I’m going to need to operate in that for a very, very long time

 As I re-read that this morning my eyes lingered on the last sentence. “I think I’m going to need to operate in that for a very, very long time.” That’s so incorrect. I don’t need to operate in High Grace for a “time”. I need to operate in High Grace every single day of my life. Not just through every event or production or speaking engagement or vacation but in everything. Every. Single. Day. Needs High Grace and some days not just High ”tide” Grace but “tsunami waves” High Grace.

Starting today, I’m going to ask the One who extends un-measurable grace to me, to help me remember the amount of grace I walk under and to help my first response to be one of High Grace because I am a firm believer that as you give you get and Lord knows I need others to operate in High Grace towards me.

Xoxox,

Gena