Waves of Grace

It’s officially summer time at the Talevski house! We wished the last of school days a “good riddance” and “farewell” and are now sailing into our favorite season: SUMMER! 

I could wax poetic about all the wonderful things about summer (truly try me— I am sure I could list 1000’s as summer is my most favorite season of all!) but instead I will focus on a few of our favorite things to do in the summer… 

• Softball and baseball. (Pictures to come soon and maybe even a blog post as it is our family’s favorite sport!) 
• Lots of lazy days around the pool, hiking, meeting with family— cousins, grandparents, and so many others. 
• And… vacation! One of our favorite, most favorite, places to go is San Diego. These are a few pictures from our last trip to the coast. It’s our happy spot! 

It was on this trip God met me in an overwhelming season I’d been walking through and spoke to me through the waves…. 

I was able to sneak out one morning for a quiet solitary walk down the coast. It was during this time of searching for relief— my looking for answers for deep down questions of my heart that I didn’t even know particularly how to voice— I heard the waves in their fullness, the call of the seagulls. I watched the birds come and dig up snails as the tide went back out. I stood in the ocean, standing still, while the waves would come close and lap against my legs, then fall back away slowly, until…

a new wave would come over and lick my toes again. In and out. Constantly. And there, I recognized the similarity of the waves and life. As long as we are on this earth, situation after situation will come up. Some will gently lap against our legs in a peaceful manner, some lick our toes. Some will come crashing in, the tide changing and soak us through and through. But the constant is that it comes, then it goes. It comes, then it goes. Somehow that fact was oddly comforting— impermanence of the waves. There is always a reprieve in the middle to breathe before the next wave comes up. 

I was contemplating this, (and by contemplating I mean asking God, “Why does overwhelming situation after overwhelming situation come?”). As the next wave licked my toes I heard His whisper in my heart. 

“Just as sure as challenges and situations are to come and come, constantly with no stop, even more so my love, my presence comes in over and over again.“

I watched the salty water submerge my toes, my ankles and listened a bit closer.

“With each challenge, each situation, there is an overflow of my grace and love. So focus on that. Not on the waves or challenges or problems, but on the consistency of my love.” 

The whisper dug way down in my heart, the truth resonating through me. 

Yes, I could… I could focus on the grace, the love He sends on wave upon wave. Yes, this world will send challenges and trials and problems, but God, in His mercy, sends wave after wave of love and grace.

That’s a constant we can take comfort in. 

The waves will not overtake you. Here’s the words for your heart straight from God Himself: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Psalm 43:1-3 

“I am there with you. My love bigger than anything,” He whispers to both you and I today. 

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Ephesians 3:18-19

So as the waves continued to lick my toes, then my calves, and eventually thighs… I let His love crash over me. He is more than enough for anything we face. 

Let’s take out eyes off of the challenge and instead, moment by moment, ask God to teach us to see Him, His peace, His love, and grace in every moment. Because if we will look for it, we will notice it is there. 

So friend, may you know this truth, may you be settled in it so much that when a HUGE wave crashes in on your shore bringing challenges and difficulties— may you remember that His grace comes in— EVERY TIME and offers more than enough mercy to cover the situation. Yes, this is the promise from God himself (and we always know He keeps His promises— every time!) 

“But where sin (problems, pain, separation) increased, grace increased all the more…”

Romans 5:20

Never doubt, my friend, that He is more than enough to handle every situation. The key is to be found in HIM. Tuck your hand in His, focus in on His face, and allow Him and all He is to overwhelm every situation that comes your way. 

You are safe, protected, held… (More on this topic at https://melanietalevski.com/2021/03/13/safe-secure-and-held/ ) and He is more than enough and provides more than enough GRACE for any situation that comes our way. 

Let’s trust it, believe it, and live like it is true even when we are in the midst of it. 

And to take it one step further… (I urge you to really dial in and hear this):

His love for you… it is so precious it reached down and poured LOVE upon you even when you were unaware. Even when all that you were was against Him. When everything in you pushed Him away. 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 

This is one of my most favorite verses EVER. He calls us to Himself. Sacrifices Himself. We were too blind to see it. But still He did it to provide a way. His great big ULTRA love couldn’t be pushed away, barricaded or stopped. It broke through. Changed our lives forever once we said YES. Now we take that way, walk that way… and see the precious blessing of His love and grace. We feel it coming in wave by wave each day. Now if that isn’t “super hyper abundant grace” (as the Passion Translation describes it) I don’t know what is!  (read more about GOLD GRACE here: https://melanietalevski.com/2021/05/28/gold-grace/ )

My prayer for you this week: 

May your eyes be opened to the ABSOLUTE TRUTH of the matter: that God’s grace does come in wave after wave in a super abundant way— it is much bigger than the problems. It has the power of God in it, able to handle any and every situation with grace to spare. It never runs out or falls flat, short of its goal. May you feel that GRACE rise up in your heart, given by God, and may you trust and rely on the giver of that grace— God Himself— to get you through any circumstance you face. He is more than enough. His grace and gentle love are more than enough. They are promised to you each and every time. So, let that beautiful smile slip back on your face, replace your trust not on yourself but onto the ultimate GIVER OF GRACE, and be ready to see how He comes through for you. It may not be on your time line but it is always far above anything we can think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) in the long run.

I’m excited to share my grace laced stories with you and I can’t wait to hear yours as well. 😊

Keep hanging on tight to Him. Letting the waves of grace crash over you. It’s more than enough. He is more than enough.  

Until next time,