New Grace...

A Spring Lake friend after battling cancer - husband, father, grandpa - passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 52. A young mother on one of our Europe fields is persevering through chemo treatments with all its side effects as she walks the difficult journey of breast cancer. My good friend, Helene, just recently lost her twin sister to cancer.

Hard stuff. Tough stuff. But not without hope in every case.

I first became aware of the term "new grace" just a few weeks ago while reading a journal entry on the Caring Bridge site of a husband whose wife has an inoperable brain tumor. I've been keeping up with Chuck's entries as he processes his grief knowing that he will lose Joy, the love of his life, in the near future. Chuck and Joy are parents to one of our West MI church planters - Chad and Julie - who we have grown to love. Upon hearing the doctor's diagnosis and learning that treatment would not prolong life, Joy decided to "let the cancer run its course." And it is.

I've thought of this new grace just about every day since I read of it. Chuck wrote of a song that I've not heard of that sings of new grace. Grace that hasn't been needed before. I know the verse, "My grace is sufficient," and the Old Testament passage that reminds us that God's "mercies are new every morning, Great is His faithfulness," but this thought of new grace is something I can wrap my head around. No matter what comes our way in life's journey, God has new grace for whatever, whenever, whoever, when we don't know how to answer the why's of life.

New grace. God's grace - His love shown in practical ways when we need it most.

I write this today as I think of my friends walking through hard times, thankful for God's new grace - always enough, always plenty - for each new day.