Today’s Joy Dare: Find 3 startling graces of God and give thanks for them
1. It was a tough day at school. My most difficult students were being most difficult. It seemed like most of my students were pushing the limits today: talking when they shouldn’t have been, messing around when they thought I wouldn’t notice, getting a bad attitude when asked to do something, distracted when I was trying to teach them. But when I think back on the day, I realize that I am just like them sometimes. I am easily distracted during my time spent with the Lord, I get a bad attitude when He tries to teach me things I don’t want to learn, and I try to get my own way more often than I would like to admit. Yet His love for me never changes. How amazing it is that the God of the universe loves me, a self-centered sinner. Yet He does. That is a startling grace of God.
2. I finally got to pick up my car today. 
As soon as we pulled up to the auto body shop, I could see it sitting there in the still snow-covered lot, sparkling like brand new. It made me happy to see my car again. After paying for the cost of repairs (nearly $3,000–praise the Lord for insurance that will cover most of it!), I walked out to drive my car home. When I opened the door, I was stunned. They had vacuumed every inch of the inside of my car! Maybe car repair shops typically give their cars a cleaning on the outside and the inside, but I was pleasantly surprised. :)
3. It felt weird to drive my car again. It brought back some memories of the accident as I sat there in the driver’s seat heading home. When I got home, for some reason I just felt really emotional. Maybe it was exhaustion setting in from the rough day at school or another step toward healing from the accident. Either way, I was surprised that my cat Lily picked up on my mood right away. She always seems to know when I’m feeling a bit down. She meowed softly and rubbed up against me. When I picked her up, she nestled down against me, all warm and soft, purring away happily. And she was content to just stay there with my arms wrapped around her in a comforting hug. She licked my face gently. How precious that God created such sensitivity in animals, bringing a small tidbit of His peace to us when we need it!