This week we lost a friend, actually a family member, a joint heir in the kingdom of God. In trying to express how this man impacted my life this week, all words have seemed to fall short, until today when I was re-reading this blog I wrote. If an earthly person could epitomize the word grace, then he would be that person! He offered grace to everyone he came in contact with. Out of his abounding grace was a wellspring of love and joy! As I said in this writing, even in the midst of trial, there is victory because there is joy in accepting grace, just as there is joy in extending grace. If we can learn from his example, we can also have joy and share God’s grace with others! He truly understood and fully accepted the grace that he received from our Savior, Jesus Christ and shared it freely, up until the end of his earthly life. I count it a privilege and honor to have known this man, he was truly an encouragement to me and my husband and everyone that knew him. He will definitely be missed on this earth but his impact will stay with all of us who knew him and for that we will be forever grateful. I know that Heaven is rejoicing today and the shouts are resounding as Nat Rand has joined his family in eternity. With Joy we celebrate your Life, your Grace, and your Joy, which you so freely shared with us! Thank you for showing us a glimpse of Heaven on Earth and teaching us how to live on Earth as if we were in Heaven, because HIS mercies are New every morning! (I feel a shout coming on! š
The majority of my friends and family members are Awesome and help to maintain my Faith in humanity. Then there are those few that stretch me. At times, they really tttrrrrry my pa-tience and offers of grace, or even desire to show grace! Jonathan, my husband, will sometimes say the latter are the ones who are there for our āperfecting,ā meaning that they make our faith grow. And I think, āGee, how much more does my faith need to e-x-p-a-n-d?!!ā
Heās right though, because if they are irritating me by the things they do and/or say, it shows I have not reached my own maturity in Faith. If and hopefully when Iāve come to a point that their actions, which are intended to provoke, do not irritate, but bring forth a response of love and compassion, then Iām getting closer to the patterned son, who treated sinner and redeemed alikeā¦
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Katie Storme 