It's Day 31 on the #write31days journey!  Thank you for joining me for the series "Lessons About Life I've Learned (so far)."  If you are new to this series, a link at the end of this post will take you to the landing page where you can find out more.

But first, there is one more life lesson to share. It's about grace.

In our capitalist society, wealth is seen as a worthy goal. For some, the power of influence and the allure of luxury is motivation to achieve a high net worth. But grace gives wealth a whole new meaning. It goes beyond this world’s economy or anything else in this world.

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

It’s hard to fathom how much Christ relinquished so we could be forgiven, have the strength to stand or the privilege to serve. With a grateful heart, I hope to steward my inheritance well — not by living life like I want to — but by living life like I belong to Him.

Here’s what I mean:

When I battled depression in my late teens, I wanted more understanding. But instead, grace took my mother’s prayers and formed a shield around my life.

When loved ones died, I wanted more time with each of them. But instead, grace took their believing souls home and gave my grieving soul time and comfort to heal.

During the 2008 recession, I wanted more financial stability. But instead, grace made it possible for Brady and me to trudge through financial distress and regain stable employment.

Whether we think we need more support, more time or more resources, grace always gives us more than we deserve. Sometimes it builds a paradoxical existence giving us:

Joy during times of sorrow.

Contentment in the face of lack.

Hope in the midst of horrible news.

Because although God’s grace gives us more riches than we can imagine, it doesn’t include the luxury of giving up. May we always be encouraged by the generous grace of Christ and experience Him as more than enough for our needs.

This post is part of my "Lessons I've Learned About Life (so far)" series. To find out more start here.

I'm taking a short break to reflect on these (and new) life lessons. I hope you'll continue to reflect on them too. I'll return with a new post on November 15. However, feel free to comment on these posts. I promise I'll chime in and believe God to give more "hope for the heart and joy to the soul."