Reflections of Christ through a Life in Grace

In a person's life, there are people with whom we are connected to as family, as friends, as coworkers, as fellow parishioners, as role models. Many of the people we connect with in our life journey we know personally and they have some profound affect on how we see the world as well as how we see ourselves. It is as if the people we connect with are our own personal mirror and sometimes we like what we see, and sometimes we don't. We make adjustments to our behavior and our thoughts based on how we see ourselves in other people. And we grow and change continually because of this. It is in times, however, when we can look at that mirror of another human face and when we actually see the face of Christ reflecting back to us that we are truly blessed.
Recently, I was introduced to a person through the blog world named Edie of life {in} grace. I have referred to her in my blog posts here and here. At first upon "meeting" Edie on her blog I was drawn in by the warmth and design of her actual blog Home; colorful, vibrant, fun, much like it's author. But as I peered deeper into the windows of Edie's blog House, I saw something that took me by surprise. It was if somehow, she knew me and I wanted to know a little more about her and why the things that she wrote about so eloquently resonated so deeply in me. I posted a comment on one of her posts one day as a way of introducing myself. I never expected to actually hear back from her because she has hundreds of followers, but she graciously responded. And in that response, it was if she had opened her soul to me and welcomed me with open arms to come into her blog Home and sit and have a cup of coffee with her while we chatted and talked about C.S. Lewis, or how to make Granny's Fudge, or how to hang an asymmetric plate hanging, . . . But most importantly in that one response, Edie showed me a reflection of Christ. Edie is a woman of great faith who's heart loves her fellow man as Christ loves us. She allows herself to be vulnerable and real and honest and pure. In her, we see our own selves as Christ sees us. And because of that we long to know more. We thirst for Christ more as He thirsts for us. Edie and her family lost their earthly home in a fire just three days before Christmas, but even in the midst of such a tragedy, Edie found hope and gave glory to our Lord. Even in despair, Edie found a way of reflecting Christ's love through her abundant faith in Him. In this, God has used Edie to reach out and reflect His image in others. As Edie herself said, "It’s as if our friends and family have become the hands and feet of Christ, bringing love and help and healing." Edie lives a "life in grace." Her unrelenting thirst for our Savior allows His light to shine through her to show others His face. As a mirror reflects an image, so too does Edie's life in grace reflect the love of Christ to others. On this day, January 4, 2011, Edie celebrates another year of life. My wish for her is that through this blog post, a reflection of Christ's love may be reflected back on this faithful and beautiful servant. God bless you Edie. May he bring you peace, love, and happiness on this day and through the new year.