Grace Shall be as your day

This email is a little late not because I was swept away in a hurricane but because we spent all day yesterday in a conference with Elder Ziveck of the 70. To answer every bodies questions and concerns, I am totally safe and surprisingly dry. The hurricane really didn't come close to Tampa but we sure did some wind and rain. On Monday was got a text telling all the sisters to prepare to evacuate to this mission home just in case but we never had to and didn't really hear much about it after that.

This week has flown by so fast! The main things to update would be on Kelly who is doing amazing. She will be baptized on Saturday and has invited a ton of her nonmember family and friends. On Sunday we waited for her to come to church but she didn't come. I was crushed as I walked into the chapel, praying the whole time she would still make it, Well about halfway through meeting, in she came. Later she told us she had woke up at 9 and she said that she knew she needed to be at church. She said it's so easy to make excuses about why we can't do certain things but she said that she was not going to do that, even though she would be late. You see, this is why I love her and all investigators who exercise their faith!

I mentioned last week that I have been studying the topic of "Grace" lately. Well after hearing that I have a new niece named Grace, my name is Grace, and Elder Ziveck spoke to us about "Divine Grace," I decided that I would share some of the little nuggets I've learned.

Grace is not only a beautiful name, but a principle of the gospel that I have always been intrigued by. When I was little, my mom would always say, "Everybody needs a little grace." I am embarrassed to say that I always thought she was referring to having a child like me :) despite being far from the perfect child. It wasn't until a couple months ago, I realized we all need His grace. I have had many discussions with friends not of my faith who don't understand the LDS interpretation of grace. I've heard everything from "we're not christian because we don't believe we are saved by grace" to "We are trying to earn our way to heaven."  Well you always hear the scripture in 2nd Nephi about how "we are saved by grace AFTER all we can do."  I never understood that in context of the definition in the bible dictionary which refers to grace as a divine mean or strength or enabling power. Did that mean that I needed to exhaust myself with all my efforts and then I would receive strength?  I thought it had to be something more. Then there is the whole " saved by grace or saved by works" discussions I've had. The Late Sister Lane... I call her Mary now, sent my an amazing talk by Brad Wilcox titled His Grace is Sufficient for you."  This was amazing and here are some things I took away from

• Grace is not the absence of a heavenly high expectation, it's a sense of Gods power
• It's not achieved somewhere down the line but received right here and right now to those who rely on their Savior
• It's not a finishing touch after we've given our all but it's the Finishers touch.
• Just as sure as a sunrise, Grace or the enabling power of the atonement is constant in our everyday life
• We are told to rely on the mercy, merits and grace and as we do we understand why he requires so much of us and why we need the strength to do it.
• It's not a booster engine that comes in to save us at the last minute but a constant energy source
• He compared grace to a mom paying for Piano lessons. The mom pays the debt in full and in return requires the child to practice. She doesn't expect the child to pay her back but to show appreciate for the gift by practicing. Her joy comes from seeing the gift used and the child's life improved. Similarly Christ paid the price for our sins and in return requires obedience and repentance when we fall short. The repentance brings about change and over time, we can "master" our piece. Sometime we hit wrong keys and notes but that is to be expected until you have practiced practiced practiced.
• Grace isn't just about being saved but about being transformed and perfected

Now as children of God and recipients of the atonement, we inherit a lot of responsibility. As members of his true and living church we have even a greater responsibility to help bring about the Lords kingdom on the earth. Honestly, sometimes that frightens me. I find myself asking whether or not I will be able to live up to all that is required of me. Well in my personal study one morning, I found this quote:

" When we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the fulfilment of righteous responsibilities, we should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us... Nothing is impossible to those who keep God's commandments. But the blessings the carry us over obstacles do not precede our efforts, they follow them"  - Elder Dallin H. Oaks

So whatever your righteous responsibilities may be, missionary, mother, father, bishop, RS president, hometeacher etc... we all have access to the enabling power of the atonement, or what I like to refer to as Amazing Grace. Lets not make excuses for why we can't do something but look for our Savior for strength to carry on.

I have felt the sweet grace in my life as I try to do what the Lord asks. I make mistakes, I fall short, but I will keep practicing until one day I can master my recital piece.  I love you all, I love my Savior and I love my name! I try to live up to it as best as I can and be strength in the lives of others. I pray that Grace shall be as your day.

Love

Sister GRACE Thomas