A Place of Grace

Rest. Rest. Rest in God’s love. The only work you are required now to do is to give your most intense attention to His still, small voice within.

— Madame Jeanne Guyon

Recently, my daughter sat quietly on her bed, just before bedtime. She was writing something. It had been a long day, I was tired and my nerves were shot. Something about the peaceful way she sat, with her head bowed over her work made me pause. I bit down unspoken orders to brush teeth and pick up clothes and took a moment to watch her.

After a minute, she glanced up and smiled. “Mom, I wrote a poem. You want to hear it?” I kissed her and said, “Prayers before bed. Let’s go.” She smiled at me and said, “OK,” and read her poem, adding the word “Amen.”

In adulthood, prayers center around “all that I have done and all that I have failed to do” and all that I want. It is a good thing to pray like an 8-year-old sometimes. God creates perfectly. Events unfold, as they should. I become a place where many good things reside. Thank you, Grace, for reminding me.

— Marey Oakes

Here Lies Beauty

Here you go, where beauty goes
Where the stream flows
Where the big cloud glows
A place of Grace
A place of Hope

Soft voices fill the air
Love and sweetness everywhere
Mothers hold their blessed children
They look down in their beautiful faces
(But soon they’ll learn to tie their laces)

And here is beauty
Here it lay
And here is where it’s going to stay

— Grace Oakes, age 8