Grace

We never thought that we'd be thinking of another name for a girl so soon but Grace has always been at the top of the list. Again, it's a name that is traditional yet also powerful, meaningful, and feminine. Faith and Grace just seemed to go together. After all, this double blessing is by God's grace alone.

Grace comes from the English origin meaning grace or unmerited favor from God. In the bible it states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not of works, so that no man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. In order for us to be recipients of God's grace, the action required on our behalf is faith. Faith that God indeed does work all things out for our good and for His glory. Most of all, our faith in Jesus Christ. God has provided us with a vessel to experience a personal relationship with Him. Whereby we can also experience peace, joy, hope and love in a world that has been broken from the beginning of time. Our belief in Jesus, who He was, and what He came to do for us is the foundation of our faith. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish but have everlasting life." It's simply overwhelming to think that a Father would give up his only Son in order to save us...
Now that's grace.

The Sunday morning we found out about the twins, the front cover of our church bulletin said two words... "Experience Grace". Boy, have we ever. We don't think there are any coincidences in life. We are put in certain situations, we meet certain people, all for a reason in the big picture. Sometimes they are good experiences, other times, not so good, but all for a divine purpose.

The English origin of the word Grace is ultimately derived from the Latin meaning gratia. Our gratitude is difficult to express in mere human words. It's something that is felt deeply from within the heart. Gracias, God.