Grace Abounds

In the springtime, my favorite place on the planet is the Elk Refuge. When winter begins to loosen its tight grip on the valley, the Elk Refuge undergoes an annual and dynamic transformation that starts with the snow melting off the valley floor. Before long, the hillsides of Miller Butte and Crystal Butte and the mountains east of the refuge begin to thaw as well. Then come the weeks of intermittent snow that cover the valley floor and the hillsides for a day or two, only to melt off again. These weeks give way to snow turned to rain and something magic happens, and it happens in the blink of an eye! The green! As snow turns to rain mixed with a few days of warm sunshine, the green begins to sweep across the refuge and creep up its hillsides.

The green emerges across the entirety of our valley, of course, and in some years it’s ephemeral and in others it lingers with summer rain, but it’s the way it emerges on the Elk Refuge that makes such an impression on me. It just happens. I don’t lift a finger, and suddenly, in a matter of days, what was brown is bright green and alive. The dark brown to tan hide of the remaining elk herd sitting atop the green is a showstopper. It’s a feast for the eyes and, if you allow it, for the heart, too.

That green to me is like GRACE. It just arrives. And it keeps arriving. No matter what we do or who we are or how we act or the decisions we make the grass is gonna be green on the Elk Refuge in May. No matter what we do or who we are or how we act or the decisions we make, God’s love is here and available always. True, there are times when we see it more clearly—just as springtime brings the green color to the refuge as feast for the eyes and heart. We also know that all that goes into making the green is there all year long, even when covered in six feet of snow. The ‘infrastructure” of God’s love is ALWAYS there. Sometimes it’s more visible. Pay attention to the refuge these next few weeks. Pay attention to grace as it emerges in your life these next few weeks, too. Grace abounds.

Love,

Jimmy