Welcome, baby Grace!

Okay, it's time to brag!  My little niece, Grace Marie, was born last Thursday afternoon.  She's a cutie!  I got to go down to Portland and visit little Grace and her proud parents in the hospital on Friday.  What a precious gift they've been given!  I can't wait to see her again.  Here are a few pictures from my visit.

God's Love

I don't really understand it.  I mean, I've known since I was a little girl that Jesus loves me... for the Bible tells me so.  But I have learned in recent years that knowing and believing that God loves me are totally two separate things.  God doesn't just love me because I'm a good and sweet little Christian.  No, God loves me unconditionally!  That means I never need to buy into the lie that I'm not good enough or worthy enough for His love.

I tend to be very hard on myself (this is truly the case at work) and yet it brings me to tears to know that that mind set I've chosen grieves my loving, heavenly Father.  It's as if I can hear him saying, "Why are you choosing to see yourself like that?  I don't!!  You are forgiven, redeemed, set free, and BELOVED!  What a good reminder!  My perpetual struggle to understand God's love frustrates me.  Why can't I just believe what I know to be true?  Praise the Lord for his grace that covers all of my sin but also all of my doubts and disbelief of his radical love for me.