A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford
My husband loved the people he pastored, and he carried them on his heart all the time. One
Friday afternoon, to ease his burdens for a a bit, we drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and had a sweet
time enjoying God’s beautiful green earth. About dusk we stopped in Brevard at Wendy’s for supper,
then came home, refreshed and ready to meet the tasks of the new week.
We drove into the garage. I reached down for my purse. It wasn’t there. Now a woman’s purse
isn’t just a fashion accessory; it’s her “other self.” It holds her identity, her credit cards, her driver’s
license, photos of the children, cash. I had carelessly left my purse on the floor of a fast-food restaurant
in the mountains an hour away! I phoned. Yes, they’ d found my purse. They would hold it for me. I
would need to bring I.D., and they would close at 11:00.
I said, “Walt, you’re so very tired. That’s why we went there in the first place. I’m going to
drive myself back. You need to go to bed.”
“No, Libby, Of course I’ll go with you.” No impatience in his voice. No accusation. Not even a
sigh. “Of course I’ll go with you.”
That night my husband showed me grace. I didn’t deserve it. But he gave me grace.
Theologians define grace as “unmerited favor,” My definition of grace that night was my
husband being incredibly kind to me when I had badly inconvenienced him. John Newton called it
“amazing grace,” Yes! Grace is astonishing!
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.
Second Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
What grace that is! When we were doomed to Hell for our sins, and when we ignored Him, Jesus
still went to the cross and died a horrible death so that we could be saved from our sins and share
Heaven with Him forever.
We drove up that dark mountain road and reached Wendy’s just before they closed. The next
morning, Walt left me a note as he left for work at the church.
“Libby, I enjoyed the second trip just as much as the first.”
Oh, what grace!