Mother’s Day – Grits with Grace

communication, Family, Holidays, life, love, Mother's Day, New Year, priorities, Scripture, sovereignty of God, wisdom

James

Posted on January 1, 2026December 28, 2025 by Dewayne Taylor

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD and He delights in his way. And even if he falls, he will not be utterly cast down because He upholds him with His strong hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

A while back we were down at my daughter’s house who lives near Murray, Kentucky. They have blessed us with two of our eight grandchildren and if you know anything about grandkids they are just a bunch of fun. Matt and Jen live in the country near Kentucky Lake and my wife Judy decided we needed to take a walk. Now if you know Judy you know she believes that people build houses for essentially one reason—to sleep in. If you aren’t sleeping, you need to be doing something—outside. Period.

So, naturally, we took a walk. I was with my grandson James and we were having an adventure. Soon we were walking hand in hand. Now, James, who was six at the time, is a very thoughtful young man. So, eventually, he asks me, “Papa, what is your real name?” Now I knew what he was asking but why not have some fun when you can? So, I told him my name was Papa. “No” he said firmly, “your real name.” Well, I gave in and told him it was Dewayne.

He took a shot at pronouncing it and got real close. I thought that might be the end, but no, the best was yet to come. He then asked me, “Papa (he didn’t try Dewayne) how old are you? Well, that was a good question, so I gave him the answer. “James,” I said, “I am almost 67 years old.” Again, almost without hesitation he said, “Papa, you’re almost dead.” I died laughing—no pun intended. The Bible mentions something about out of the mouth of babes, truth comes, and I guess truth be known…there’s a lot more days behind me than before me.

Another of my favorite James stories also occurred several years ago. Judy and I drove down to Vienna to Jon and Becca’s house and the Johnson clan drove up from Murray. Everyone was there with the exception of Sarah and Blake who at that time were stationed in Savanah, Georgia. The occasion for us getting together was my oldest granddaughter’s 15th birthday. So, anyway, it is always more fun when the grandkids are around. If you just wait you will learn something—or at least get a good subject for a sermon or a story. The latter was true in this case!

The family had migrated to the basement and only James and I were left upstairs. So, I said to James (who was two at the time), “Come on, James, let’s go to the basement.” We headed toward the stairs and I wisely offered my hand and he even more wisely took it. The wisdom of that decision became apparent quickly. Now James was and is, all boy. As we headed down the stairs, he didn’t go slowly or carefully—he literally headed down. I mean, full speed, Katie-bar-the-door down. As we started down, he performed a combination of running, jumping, and skipping maneuvers. Stairs were missed but hey, who cares, it was fun. Let me just say I was glad that I had a good grip on him because if I hadn’t, well, it wouldn’t have been pretty.

We made it somewhat safely to the bottom of the stairs and I had to share the story and we all had a good laugh. But later, as I pondered how that all played out, it made me appreciate God in a whole new way. I freshly realized how glad I am that God has a good grip on my hand. As I charge head first into life, if He didn’t have ahold of me—well, it just wouldn’t be pretty. But just like I held onto James, so God has ahold of me. Only eternity will tell how many times He saved me from pain and suffering and the consequences of thousands of bad decisions.

Years ago, while reading the Bible, a passage jumped off the pages and into my life. It said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD and He delights in his way. And even if he falls, he will not be utterly cast down because He upholds him with His strong hand.” That is such powerful truth. The fact that God directs my steps, that the path He chooses for me is cause for Him to delight and that when I fall, He’s got me…well, that is good, good news. And the best part is, it is true.

As we leap into 2026, it’s good to know that we can have someone like God holding our hand. If you are a Jesus follower you know all about that and, if you aren’t yet, He is just waiting for you to take the leap of faith. Why not give Him a try? God’s not big about denominations or even religion but He is real big about loving you and He wants to walk with you in this New Year. James didn’t know too much about stairs when he took the plunge, but his Papa did. James could rest assured that when it came to stairs…Papa had it all under control. And when it comes to life, we can rest assured that our Dearest Daddy knows all about life and has it all under control. You might say, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne

life, Mother's Day, Scripture

Mother’s Day- Redemption

Posted on May 18, 2020May 18, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

“Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Redemption. It’s one of my favorite words. One week ago, I wrote a story about Mother’s Day and my feeble attempt to honor the mother of our children. It was a story of good intentions with a not so good conclusion. It was a story that should have been about honoring but was really about muttering. It was a story about what was instead of what could have been…should have been. But, well, it turns out it wasn’t the end of the story.

So, without retelling the whole story (see “Mother’s Day—The Hard Way, May 11, 2020 on gritswithgrace.com) let’s just say I lost a blessing. Judy asked for a simple Mother’s Day gift and I fumbled the ball. I did it but with some (ok, a lot) of muttering. The day ended good with a great hike together and my receiving a reasonable measure of grace. The next day, Becca, our oldest daughter suggested a trip to Pigeon Forge for a few days as recompense. That seemed reasonable and doable and is in the planning stages. But there’s more.

It is the time of year when ladies change their purses. I know Judy has a dark red one that she uses in winter and a cute (did I just say “cute?”) one for spring. Well, the cute one for spring has seen its last hurrah. It is faded like an old leaf on the ground in late fall. She told me she was looking for a replacement but couldn’t find “the one.” It had to be a certain kind, it had to be the same color as last year’s, and it had to be a particular design. She said, “I can’t find what I want. I guess they just don’t make it.” What she was really saying was, “Here’s a chance for redemption, big boy.”

I jumped on this like “white on rice.” I like a challenge and love redemption. Now, I don’t know a thing about purses. Most guys don’t do purses though some have a “man-bag.” This guy doesn’t do either. But I do know about the promised land…Ebay. So, I got my iPhone out, clicked on the icon and entered eBay land. I tried several key searches. I quickly found out that whoever this Vera Bradley person is, she makes a lot of purses in a lot of designs and in lots of colors. But I was determined…I was seeking redemption.

Well, Judy wanders in, sits down and together we continue the search. By the time she got there, I was close. I could smell it; I just couldn’t taste it. And then it happened. There it was. Vera Bradley, coral floral, cross-body purse. The right brand, the right color and the right design. She wondered if it could be true. She said she would believe it when she could see it, hold it, touch it. The Saturday after Mother’s Day it came in the mail in all its glory. She saw it, she held it, she touched it. Game. Set. Match.

Her smile was from ear to ear and so was mine. Her happiness was so evident and so was mine. She couldn’t believe her prize was in her hands and her “prince” had brought home the bacon. Oh, I was redeemed all right. The epic failure was gone…replaced by the laurels of “coral floral” victory! Then I said, “Wait…I’ve heard this story before.” It is the story of God and me…of God and you.

You see, because of our sin, our failures, we were in a hot mess. We were separated from God and there was no fixing it. It was epic fail 101. Then God made a way—the way for rescue, for restoration, for redemption. And it’s not unlike my Mother’s Day story. I searched for the one thing that would make redemption possible and found it. And we do the same. We long for the one thing. And it isn’t religion. It isn’t being good. It isn’t stopping a bad habit or starting another. It is grace. It is forgiveness. It is Jesus.

You see, Jesus is not a religion…we have enough of that already. As Jesus said, He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” His death and resurrection made it possible for anyone to come home to God. He makes it possible for this epic failure to call God, “Father.” Paul, in Colossians 1:13-14, put it this way, “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Well, I’m glad the story didn’t end with part one. I’m glad there was a part two. I’m glad for redemption. And your story never has to end with only a part one. Whether it is coming home for the first time or coming back home another time, we will always find Him waiting with open arms and a warm embrace. Guess what? Last Monday I was ok…Judy still loved me. She’s like that. This Monday, well, she thinks I hung the moon. She’s like that too. Today, God waits to welcome you home and guess what? No, He doesn’t think you hung the moon…He did that. But He does love you to the moon and back. So, let go and let Him hold you. Rest in Him. He’s got this.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day–The Hard Way

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Dewayne Taylor

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

“So,” I asked, “what do you want for Mother’s Day?” I mean, it was a good question and a timely question. It was a question that I asked too many times the week before “the day.” It reached a point where anytime I started a sentence with the word “so” she gave me “the look.”

Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries are all a little difficult when it comes to Judy. “Why” you ask? Well, one she is not a “gifty” person. Now “gifty” is not a word; I made it up. It means one who needs gifts. I am a “gifty” person. Second, she’s pretty content. She’s not really heavy into the stuff thing. She doesn’t particularly like or need jewelry, candy, or even pe-can pie. I know, it’s hard to believe!

Well, it was Saturday before “the day.” No matter how not “gifty” Judy is, I needed to do something. She deserved it and I didn’t want to go to jail. So, I decided to try one more time. “So, Judy,” I said, “what are we going to do about this Mother’s Day thing? It is tomorrow.” At first I thought I was going to get the look but instead she said, “I know what.” That worried me because she had a smile on her face. It was that “you should have quit while you were ahead smile.” She said, “You can dig up plants for me.”

“Dig up plants?” I muttered but it was too late. The deed was done. The deal sealed. I agreed and after stalling for a few minutes followed her out to the yard. She took me to a spot under a large crepe myrtle where some lilirope had taken over. So this was it. With a stiff upper lip I attacked those pesky, rooty plants and ripped them from the ground. “Teach you to grow, you, you, plant you” I muttered. It was a battle but one I eventually won. I thought I had won the day but I think the muttering under my breath kinda spoiled the deal.

To make up for the muttering we started tackling these killer rose bushes. They had some dead branches that needed to go. Now you need to understand these bushes had thorns on their thorns. Well, before long, blood was shed…and I muttered. I was pretty sure I was going to have to call the Red Cross for a unit of blood before we were done. I thought, “Surely this will win the prize. Game, set, match.” Nope, that stinking muttering under my breath about shedding blood spoiled things again. I think I ended up tired, bleeding and empty handed. I never should have muttered. Judy calls it “losing the blessing.” I call it a real dumb move.

So, I was sitting on the patio after the medics had bandaged my arm and gave me CPR (smile) and then it occurred to me. You know, this is what we do with God. We tell Him how much we love Him. We offer to do anything for Him. “Just speak the Word, Lord, and I will go and I will do.” So He speaks and then we stammer and then we mutter and then we lose the blessing. “Lord, what would you have me do?” we say. He mentions hard things like forgiving, loving, serving, giving, sharing. You know, all those “ing” ending words that feel a whole bunch like digging plants.

Well, if I would have pressed pause on the “mutter button” I would have remembered just how much Judy does for me. I would have remembered how much I really do love her. I would have remembered that while I don’t like digging plants I sure like seeing her smile. It’s the same with God. If you just hit the pause button you would remember all that God has done for us and does for us every single day. If you know Him, you gotta love Him. How could we not? How.could.we.not?

You see, God loves you to the moon and back. Two scriptures put a bow on the package. John 3:16 says God loved us enough to give His Son to a Roman cross. But wait, Romans 5:8 tells us that God showed His love by sending Jesus die on that cross without us having to get it together He just said “hey, come to Me…let’s get together.” How about that? Well, Judy and I ended up going on a great hike later in the day and had a really great time. We were amazed at His handiwork and I was amazed at how quickly she could forgive. I hope the next time she needs some plants dug, I’ll just hit pause on the “mutter button” and gladly start digging. Not because I love digging plants, not because I have too but because I love the one I’m digging for. And when we ask God what we can do for Him, whatever it is or whoever it involves let’s just get our shovels and get busy. Afterwards, we can take a break and rest in Him. He’s got this.