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God's Grace

God's grace has been a HUGE theme in my (Aaron) life these days. I am enamored by His grace in a couple ways in particular: 1) His grace to me as I continually fall short of His glory yet His love for me never changes. 2) His grace to me as He calls me to be a part of the greatest work - sharing the most beautiful truths of Jesus to those He leads me to for His glory. 3) His grace to me in the every day - my family; I DO NOT deserve my precious kids and amazing wife who are the source of unbelievable joy. Friends, health etc. I mention this because the last few weeks here in Asia have been the HARDEST of my entire life save for about a 9 month period during college. The stress, adjustments to life, language, food, friends, home, city and culture have been overwhelming to say the least. Now throw in the mix that 4 other people I am responsible for are all standing pretty much horizontal as these hurricane winds of change thrash them in their own unique ways and you have the perfect recipe for lots and lots of sin. (Not that we need these things to sin, but we are smacked in the face by our sin in times like these). Strained relationships with those I love most have been the greatest factor in this difficult time. Add to that the fact that I lost my wedding ring 2.5 weeks ago and did a shoddy job of fighting to find it and you get a Wurgler house in complete disarray. A friend of mine and I took the 1+ hour trip to a rock climbing gym one night after ministry and after kids were in bed. We climbed for a while and, as I got my things together, I placed my ring on the bench next to my stuff (I never climb with it on for safety reasons). An internal dialogue then took place which went something like this: Aaron: You're going to forget that there. Aaron's subconscious: Though prone to forgetfulness, I WILL NOT leave without my ring. Aaron: HA!!! Aaron's subconscious: Just watch and see. I feel naked without my ring. Aaron: You're about to don your birthday suit... Sure enough, we walked out and the ring stayed in. God's grace enters as I, after several phone calls, pleading with the staff there, a $25 round trip taxi fare, and a "Lost Ring" poster, made another round trip back via subway (about a 66 cent fare round trip and 2.5 hours of total travel). They had found it. The cleaning lady somehow found it, returned it and my wedding ring is back on my finger as I write this. God's grace. I don't deserve this example of good in my life, but He blesses me with it. And its like Sara has new life in her and relationships are restored. Amazing how God works. I'm in awe of that today and praising God for His grace.

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