Photo courtesy of hikari_miyako

Hey, friends, it's a Five Minute Fridays party with our gracious hostess, Lisa-Jo, and our online friends. We write our hearts out for five minutes, post, then see what inspired our friends.

The guest of honor today is "Graceful" because of the release of Emily Freeman's book by the same title. I haven't read it, but I heard Emily speak at She Speaks, so I'm sure the book is great.

START.

Graceful makes me think of a ballerina in white dancing Swan Lake.

Graceful is not a word I think of to describe myself. Maybe because when I was little, she made fun of the way I walked. More like a duck than a swan.

I think she meant well; she was trying to get me to look, well, more graceful, I think. So I became really self-conscious.

Then there was the pointing out how my legs looked. Not quite right. So I - foolish child- tried to run at the beach with my legs wide apart thinking no one would notice.

Hmm, I think I looked even less graceful.

But as I grew up, I began to realize that God looked more at my heart. Was it full of His grace? I needed to go to Him, and let Him change my grace-less ways of thinking and speaking.

Transform me from the ugly duckling into a swan full of His grace.

His love changed me because it was given to me from grace and not out of merit. His grace-filled and graceful ways with me transformed me from the inside out.

No need to be self-conscious because I am conscious only of His love for me.

Graceful in His eyes of love.

STOP.

Never really know what is going to come up. What do you think of when you hear the word, "graceful?"

It is always a grace gift to hear from you. Thank you.

Praying you enjoy a weekend full of grace moments, where you feel treasured and loved. 

Please join the party at The Gypsy Mama by either linking up and/or reading other entries. 

© Soul Stops/Dolly Lee 2012.