But God’s grace has made me what I am, and his grace to me was not wasted.  – 1 Cor. 15:10

It’s not hard for me to remember many of the mistakes, the errors in judgment, and the downright sins I have committed throughout my life.  Some of them make me shudder at the immaturity and selfishness I displayed.  Many make me weep at the ugliness revealed in own heart.  Some make me cringe, others make me thankful I survived.  All of them remind me of what an incredible gift mercy is to have allowed me the room to grow and change and mature.

And then there’s the matter of grace.

The One who fashioned all things, who holds the power to speak whatever he wills into being (or not being, for that matter), whose name I blaspheme with every act of selfishness, graciously gives what I do not deserve in order to gently lead me back to Him, the source of life.  And every time I think about how His grace has made me who I am, I draw in a breath of peace.

I am not haunted by my past, I am shaped by it.  The many scars do not incapacitate me; they simply flesh out my story and create a backdrop for recognizing joy.

I do not fear my future, for the One whose grace has made me who I am, still controls the outcome… and covers it with the promise that He will complete what He began.

Even in the midst of an incredible amount of unknowns and uncertainties about what tomorrow will hold, His grace is an overwhelming reminder that He is still molding me for my good, and for His glory.