redemption. hope. humanity.

redemption. hope. humanity. selfishness. These are words running through my head. I am convinced God is in the work of redeeming us and this world. I see it in the trees, the clouds, a deep expression of joy on an otherwise downtrodden face. This truth gives me hope, but its been slipping through my fingers these past few days. Are you ever so keenly aware of our humanity that you get discouraged? There is a lot of bad in the world. The reality check is that although I am frustrated with the selfishness that breaks the hearts of people I love, no one is incapable of such action. We each make decisions that lead us one direction or the other. We are capable of greatness as well as its awful counterpart. Though I am angry at people who cause pain to others, I must recognize we are part of the same race. And here we return to the source of redemption. A friend responded to some of these thoughts last night by saying "Grace is a gift. By the grace of God is a big statement." That is so true. By the grace of God. That's how we still have hope and rise to the occasion when faced with decisions to live for self or others.