grace cortez

Together we stand, united against the fear. Love can defeat this.

I used to think that the ability to turn back time would be the greatest possible gift, so that I could undo all the things I wish I hadn’t done. But grace is an even better gift, because it allows me to do more than just erase; it allows me to become more than I was when I did those things. It’s forgiveness without forgetting, which is much sweeter than amnesia.

What a terrible thing to think “Did they not love me because I was not their first choice?” What a terrible thing that is, because you shouldn’t be on a list at all. Yes, love is a choice, but not one that settles. We see someone and we think “I want to love this person and build them up.” And so you do, and not in a way that says “I want to love this person because they can do A.B. and C. For me.” No, you love the person because you want to see them grow in beauty, grace, love, gentleness and wisdom. You want the best for them, because to you, they are the choice you made for better or worse, and not a number that fit all your needs and desires; because love comes with a loving and serving heart.

Have you ever just looked at someone and thought, “I really love you”. They’re just talking or humming or watching a movie or reading a book or laughing or something, and there’s something about them in that moment that makes you think, “I just really love you.

Today you were defeated, discouraged, dejected, burned again. Someone brought it up, dressed you down, told you off, staged a coup. Any other day you could’ve shrugged it off: but not today. A tone, a word, a face dragged you into a pit, a chokehold, a fog. It stings. But hey: you are not what has happened to you. You’re not someone else’s fake idea of who they think you should be. You’re more than a backroom whisper where rumors lose reality — you are more than seedy surface opinions born in a broth of fantasy. You are beloved by a cosmic king of constancy who has narrated a different history over today, and everyday, and for eternity. He underlines, highlights, italicizes you apart from who you think you are: and He is writing you with a furious final love. Don’t let a bad mood steal you; don’t let a bad day say more about you than today. Because it’s just today. Let love say good morning.

Be patient. Everything is coming together.

We often demand of people what only God can give us — encouragement, affirmation, strength, motivation — and we end up wringing others dry. It’s okay to expect some things from people, so long as you know they’re just human beings who thirst like you. They need an Infinite Well as much as you do. If you drink deeply of Him first, you’ll be less controlled (and controlling) by your expectations, and you’ll actually seek others not to squeeze from them but to encourage them by your overflow.