blankets of grace.

this composition has outdated it's origination, but here are my once-pondered thoughts [from around MLK day].
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what a weekend.
last night - in the excitement of assisting in a surprise visit from some Denver friends & all the euphoria that ensued with introducing them to this new city of ours - came a sobering moment... the car was gone. towed, to be precise.

vulnerability like that is not exactly a comforting feeling.

but what a picture of grace came up with the sun this morning when we went to retrieve that faithful vehicle!
it was unlike any morning i'd seen thus far in this city. the warmth glowing over the view of the skyline from the tow company's parking lot launched my spirit into a moment of deep thankfulness, awe, reflection, & even joy.

despite my wallet, cell phone charger, & house keys having been locked away from me for the night, i had still been able to provide food & shelter to my other stranded friends. we may not have had what we wanted, but we managed to rest & eat well enough in those few hours of downtime before we could have our possessions restored. there's no question that we were surrounded & covered by grace. it was then that i realized:

maybe that's what we, as brothers & sisters in Christ, are intended to be to each other.
blankets of grace.

like the moving blankets in my rental truck that shielded my furniture from damage during the long drive out here...

or the emergency blankets that rescue workers wrap shock victims in to bundle them from the elements after a traumatizing event...

or even just the fabric i use to shield out the agitation of the breeze in the summertime when i feel like napping outside...

comforters.

even if that's not the entirety of our purpose, i think it's a simple enough truth,
& i hope i get to be that more: a blanket of His grace.

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ... Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." - Galatians 6:2, 9-10

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls & has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12