grace

Grace. 

That's what I named my car; the car that my parents gifted me as a wedding present.

John Wesley defined grace as the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the Holy Spirit.

This is the embodiment of a second chance. None of us deserve a second chance. None of us can earn a second chance. A second chance is all about love. Love that refuses to leave us where we are.

I recently re-read a post I had written 5 years ago about my singleness. At the time, I had no idea what story God was writing. I have no idea where the story will be in another 5 years. 

What I do know is where I am today and how I got here. 

Five years ago, my husband was two years out of a horrible divorce. I didn't know him yet. I wouldn't meet him for another two years. By the time we met, he had become content with being single for the rest of his life, and I wasn't so sure that marriage was in my future. 

I often think: I have no idea what I ever did to deserve this man. 

The answer to that is Grace - I did nothing to deserve him. 

But. But, I did choose him. I chose to go out to lunch with him and our friend. I chose to add him as a friend on Facebook. I chose to ask him questions. I chose to fly to Maryland to visit him. I chose to be vulnerable. I chose to take a risk. 

I chose to lean into Grace - the undeserved, unmerited loving action of God in my life. Grace is always there, waiting for us to lean into it.

I think this is what I love most about our love story. We are both broken people who have chosen to lean into Grace. We are a living example of the second chance that Grace flaunts. 

That's why I named my car Grace.