Sixty Days of Grace
Reflections on God’s Sufficiency for the Journey
by
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Beautiful Grace
From the door of the preschool room, I watched a child playing. Wispy blonde locks surrounded her light Scandinavian complexion and azure eyes. She was a bit more shy than most her age. Without interaction with the others, she quietly amused herself with a doll, dressing it in formal gown and high heels. A momentary flash of panic crossed her face until she again spotted her teacher helping the other children behind the indoor playhouse. All was safe again.
Then, from the hall, her daddy appeared and said, “Hi beautiful.” Her eyes lit up and her mouth smiled wide, as she ran to him. He opened his arms, scooped her up, embraced her, and twirled her once around. The daddy caught the teacher’s eye, waved, and said, “Thank you! We’ll see you tomorrow.”
What a lovely image of a daddy’s love—beautiful grace, demonstrated to his princess. If other men try to lie to her when she is older, she’ll remember her father’s secure arms, his unconditional love, and his voice saying, “Hi beautiful.” She’ll aptly discern their authenticity and their motives because she has heard the true voice.
Every daughter, young or old, longs to have her father call her beautiful. Every wife needs to hear it from her husband—beautiful. From the lips of any other person, it holds far less value. Why then, do some not say that word to their princess? Did their fathers not teach them? Perhaps four or five generations back, a father set a different example and it trickled down to the present.
Oh, the beautiful grace of a loving father who expresses his love in a word, beautiful. Many are fortunate to have such a father. However, some of us, though we have good fathers, they don’t know how to verbalize their love. Others have fallen fathers who are angry, abusive, selfish, or ignorant and they sin against their daughters. Nevertheless, all have access to a Heavenly Father who scoops us up in His arms and says, “You’re beautifully and wonderfully made, and you’re mine.”
This Father—our Father—our Husband, expresses love to us in His Word…
Behold, “you’re beautiful, my love;
behold, you’re beautiful;
your eyes are doves… (Song of Solomon 1:15)
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About the Book
In today’s world, women desperately struggle to meet the unrealistic expectations of others and of themselves. Society tells women they can do it all, and yet they instinctively know they do not have the resources to accomplish all the demands placed upon them. Drawing on their own strength is not enough; in order to survive, women must draw on God.
Sixty Days of Grace shares sixty stories from author Dorothy Ruppert, who has struggled through life and succeeded, only because of God’s grace. This grace is the prevalent theme of the Bible. From beginning to end, the accounts of the lives of biblical figures demonstrate His eternal grace. However, in modern society His grace is often overlooked.
There are many challenges women face as daughters of the King living in a broken environment. Ruppert has been there, as mother, grandmother, working woman, and retiree. Thanks to His grace, she found her strength. All women can do the same, with the power of God. It’s time to turn away from self-sufficiency and lean on God’s everlasting arm, because His grace is sufficient for the journey; His power is made perfect in human weakness.
About the Author
Dorothy Ruppert is an inspirational speaker for women’s groups and the author of God Placed Her in My Path : Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder. She volunteers as a support group leader for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Dorothy and her husband have two sons, one daughter now deceased, two daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren. They live in Winona, Minnesota, located on the banks of the Mississippi River.