A roommate of mine moves out today. Sadly; tears have been shed. I’ve learned to walk again living in our small apartment and it’s a huge testament to her patience and encouragement. She has let me cry over unmet expectations again and again. She has come behind me in prayer daily. She was the brain and heart behind the girls small group and study through James this spring, which changed by life and my friendships.

Grace comes when things fall apart and better things fall together. I did not see it as it was happening, but I can look back and acknowledge just how much I needed this past year. Living with this roommate in our partial lake view apartment has demonstrated Gods faithfulness and grace towards me. It is because of Gods grace that our friendship hasbeen able to blossom and we’ve had sucha great experience. Even when days, weeks or months were rough, we were met by grace.

God’s grace strengthened and sustained us in our jobs, relationships and life this past year. Because that’s what grace does. God’s grace is made perfect in our weakness and weak we are.

As she moves on to some big transitions, I made sure to remind her that grace will continue to strengthen and guide her. For those of us raised in moralism, grace can be hardest to give to ourselves. Sometimes, an encouraging word can be just what you need to silence the inner self-critic who speaks contrary to grace. Just as God’s grace ha led us to share sweet memories over the past year, the ways we’ve been able to speak grace towards one another has been so sanctifying. It’s when we engage in true, authentic relationships that we see parts of God that had not previously been known to us.