Scraps of Grace

“Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." // Matthew 15:27

Surrounded by bags of candy and chips, we stood behind the concession stand counter, chatting while we waited for our next customer. The humidity gave extra strength to her blonde curls, which she pushed aside as she told me about her life, the way it had fallen apart and the way it had become whole again. She told me about her alcoholism, being a single mother, going to rehab, and watching her daughter die. She talked about becoming the guardian to her granddaughter, her conversion to Catholicism, and all the years she had been sober. 

She spoke with humility and gratitude so deep and wide I have rarely encountered the like since. God had saved her in big, big ways, but she also knew that His greatness was far, far bigger. Listening to her was like reading a Life of a Saint. 

Her life showed me the reality of how in the awesome eternity of God’s love, mercy, and power we have received just drops of His saving grace, “like scraps that fall from the table of the master” (Matthew 15:27). But the scraps—those drops—are powerful enough to save someone from alcoholism, to heal a person tormented by a demon, to restore a relationship, to redeem you and me. 

Sister, how have these scraps of grace reached you? When have you received the drop you desperately needed? May we never shy away from sharing our faith and our stories. May we always tell of the greatness of our God.