We all feel overwhelmed sometimes. When our lives overwhelm us, we need grace. But what is grace exactly? Happily, my friend Nancy Kay Grace showed up to talk about one of our favorite topics together. So, I asked her to tell of an ongoing challenge facing her for many years.
Nancy knew in her spirit something was wrong.
“I shouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night with pain in my tongue,” she says.
Along the way, she developed a sore on her tongue. First, her initial doctor gave her remedies and suggested she wait and see if it healed. Next, another doctor confirmed that approach. (Find more about how the right conversation can change everything here. Also, THIS Saturday, April 17th, I sign books at Valerosa in Bergfeld. See more details below.)
Grace to Persist
Since her situation felt ominous, she persisted in spite of their reassurances.
“It’s probably an ulcer,” the oral surgeon suggested, removing the sore, just in case.
“I had oral surgery right then and there in his office. The surgery took longer and he had to remove more of my tongue than just a small section. He almost didn’t send it off for biopsy because he didn’t think I fit the profile for cancer,” she reports.
Later that day, Nancy went home with stitches in her tongue. Suddenly, She couldn’t talk and couldn’t eat. Naturally, her head was spinning. What is happening here?
When We Feel Overwhelmed
A couple days later she got a phone call and found out it was cancer. That night she prayed through her fingers, sitting at her piano. (Find how musically-challenged mommies can inspire their music-loving children.)
“I played and I prayed through my fingers. I couldn’t sing because my tongue was all messed up,” she explains. “But I prayed through my fingers and prayed and I released it all to God. I said, ‘Whatever is ahead, Lord, I turn this over to You and I believe You are going to be with me.’”
In that moment of prayer, she describes a perfect exchange.
“The peace of God came over me. I knew it was a peace given for just such a time as that when someone is at a very critical point of receiving some difficult news.”
The Picture of Grace
When I first met Nancy several years ago, she extended grace to me naturally without even realizing it. I’m really sensitive to grace. Yep, because I mess up a lot.
I noticed immediately Nancy is not judge-y or condemning, but really compassionate. Sometimes people dish out a ton of rejection and condemnation out of their own self-condemnation. But not this kind-hearted lady!
For over a year now, I’ve wanted to interview Nancy on Fireside Talk Radio, but she couldn’t talk! Yet, each time I talked to her throughout the year, I was amazed at her rapid improvement and her clearer enunciation. What a beautiful miracle to watch God’s grace at work in my friend’s life! I find Nancy inspiring.
Nancy knew God would see her through. It’s an assurance proven trustworthy for close to eighteen years now. She’s returned to the doctor for eight different tongue biopsies. Most of the time the tests come back negative, but not always. Three times the tongue cancer returned.
“My name is not Nancy Kay Grace, but Nanthy Kay Gwafe” she laughs.
Grace Impact in Family
Even so, as a popular speaker and teacher, she experiences her inability to talk in some very specific ways. Instead of dwelling on lost opportunities to speak, she she finds ways to use the quiet time wisely.
“It’s very frustrating. I write with a board,” she says, rejoicing in her husband’s ability to comfort her. “My husband thinks it’s quiet around the house, but we know there’s healing going on at that time.”
Nancy is the author of one of my favorite books on the topic of grace, The Grace Impact. I quoted her in my book, The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations. (For those wanting to write books, at the end of today’s blog I share lots of great contacts for you. So keep reading.)
With Grace for a last name and a book on the topic, I couldn’t wait to hear Nancy’s thoughts.
What is grace?
“A lot of times we tend to think of it as a New Testament concept, but it is really all the way throughout the Bible,” she begins. “It (grace) is present in the Bible in the opening pages when God created us, humankind, in His own image and He gave us free will.”
She describes Adam and Eve’s choice to move outside of God’s will. Sin occurred, but God responded with grace, according to Nancy. God allowed Adam and Eve to live, but He banished them from the garden.
“So God’s grace was extended to them, allowing them to continue living with other regulations, instead of having the deserved penalty of death,” she explains. “So, we see from the very beginning of creation, grace was there.”
Additionally, other beneficiaries of God’s grace throughout the Old Testament include Noah, Joseph, and Moses as prime examples, just to name a few. (Don’t miss the podcast where Nancy gives much more detail.)
“God shows up and answers a prayer and empowers people,” she summarizes. Answers to prayer and God’s power in our lives give evidence of God’s grace, according to Nancy.
Grace: God’s Extraordinary Power
In the New Testament, for more evidence of God’s ongoing grace, she names Mary first. Then there’s Jesus, too, of course.
“He (Jesus) lives a life of grace, forgiving and loving with extraordinary power,” she says. From the cross to the resurrection, God’s grace emanates in full display, according to Nancy.
“But it didn’t stop there. God went on to share this grace with the disciples who had previously abandoned Christ,” she reports. “He showed up and empowered them later with the Holy Spirit.”
After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples went on to spread their story and experiences with God. Through them, God’s grace touches us thousands of years later.
“When we realize God’s grace is all about God reaching us. Because He wanted us back in relationship with Him, He sought us out because of grace,” she says. Is it any surprise I love quoting this dear friend?
Feeling Overwhelmed? Find Peace in the Midst of Any Circumstances
When we realize God is seeking us and come to accept Jesus Christ, then grace impacts our lives. What word does she use to describe the change in our thinking and in our hearts? Conversion.
“We are impacted by the grace of God and can live a different life because of that.”
Always, she praises God for her ability to speak clearly.
“I’m always aware of trying to speak clearly. I said Satan cannot have my tongue! I’m going to speak for the Lord,” she adds. “And I’m going to make sure people know the hope of the Lord, especially now in these days of the pandemic, to know the hope of the Lord that rings true so people can know the hope of the Lord.”
Our Noisy Culture
How do quiet moments effect the ways we experience God’s grace?
“We live in a very noisy culture.”
Next, she quotes part of one of my favorite verses, too, Psalm 46:10a, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
“We have to center our hearts and our minds on the power of God, on what He has done for us, on His great character,” she says. “When we do that, we calm our spirits. He calms our spirits.”
With deep conviction, Nancy recommends finding time for quiet.
“We can more closely hear His plan, hear His voice, if you wish, for our lives. It is important to call yourself aside from the noise of everything.”
Grace in Family Next Week
How can grace look in our families? What about the tricky personalities in every family? How do we extend grace to the people in our lives?
Next week, Nancy Kay Grace returns to share personal challenges in her own family. Don’t we all have challenges! Lovingly, she offers practical ideas gleaned from her own endurance, perseverance, and creativity. You’re gonna love her beautiful heart when it comes to family.
🙂
cathy
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening in to my interview with Nancy! Don’t for get to check out her website. Also, we absolutely love including you in all conversations. So send us your thoughts.
How has grace moved you this week? When your family is gathered, in what ways do you extend grace to each other? How do you like to explain grace to young children?
May we pray together?
Dear good Father, Your grace amazes us and we find power. If only we noticed Your grace more! Help us extend grace to those we love. We long to be like You, patiently offering room for others to grow. Help us draw others to Your unfailing love. Give us endurance, O Lord. And effervescent joy! Bess us now because that’s Your heart’s desire. In Jesus’s name. Amen
P.S. This Saturday! Yay! Book Signing!
This Saturday, April 17th, I join lots of local authors to sign book! Yay! You can find me at Valerosa Designs and Gallery from 9:00-4:00, Bergfeld Center, 108 E 8th St, Tyler, TX 75701.
Plus, Valerosa Designs and Gallery always carries signed copies of my books. Amazing, right? Special shout out to my dear friend Neita Fran Ward for all the ways she supports local artists and authors. (Find out how one small. but mighty woman unleashes creativity throughout our community.)
Don’t Forget– You can invite me to join your Sunday school class, book club, or conference in person or through a special zoom link. (Contact me to join you.)
Up Next
Then, Re/Engage Director Susan Cox shares her story with authenticity that will touch your heart. Are we blessed or what? I feel like I scored a celebrity guest for you in Susan.
Speaking of impacting marriages all across this country, Susan and a mutual anonymous friend (ahem, thank you CGPA) connected me with Scott Kedersha of Waco’s Harris Creek Church. Just in time for Father’s Day, Scott shares stuff to prompt all mommies to rejoice.
For Readers Or Anyone Dreaming of Book Writing
Thank you for sharing my books with your friends. The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations. or The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations. We are getting such positive feedback and your stories mean the world to us!
Also, if you want literature to feed your children’s imagination, check out Bethlehem Books. Find out what publisher Jack Sharpe said about resurrecting books and values that unite us. I especially loved the startling things he said about marriage, too.
Because so many of my friends have asked, I wanted to share the following info.
Of course, my agency Credo Communications, offers a sister company, Credo House Publishers to make your publishing dreams come true. (Shout out to the amazing Karen Neumair! )
Additionally, our friends at Redemption Press are trustworthy and faithful. (Shout out to Athena Holtz, who published B.J. Garrett’s wonderful book, Unwanted No More.)
Perhaps you don’t want to self-publish. Maybe like me, you want all the help you can get. If so, I highly recommend both my publishers, Elk Lake Publishers and CrossRiver Media. They are awesome!
Finally, If you need help with social media, Sandra Beck excels at ANYthing she does. (Who but Sandra thinks to put the word fun in her hyperlink! http://beckfun.com/sandrabeck/) And if you’re considering a podcast, Toginet makes it easy on the host, so you can focus on your guests.
You are Invited to join the Fireside Tribe TEAM!
When you join our Fireside Tribe BOOK LAUNCH TEAM, you’ll receive discounts on books, group discounts, special offers, and options to have signed copies for your friends. Plus, you’ll be up-to-the-minute on insider news. Best of all, you’ll help us push positive messages out there into a universe in desperate need of good stuff. THANK YOU!!!
Cathy Krafve, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We invite you to join the Fireside Tribe. Truth with a Texas Twang.
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