It happened a long time ago, over a quarter of a century now. Luke was newborn babe. His tiny hand was too small to make an impression in wet cement, so Scotty took a stick and drew a tiny hand in the grey matter and wrote Luke's name with date beside it. 

Luke's pseudo impression remained for a very long time. 

Sometimes that is what life is like, no? 

 We say or do something and an impression is made, but that is not really who we are. But for some reason, the impression forms up, congeals, hardens, and remains forever.  We are held captive, judged by an imprint we have left behind.

There are things I have said in the past. Silly things that I have done. A lot of them are long forgotten in my mind, but in the mind of someone else it is as if I said, or did it yesterday. It wearies me to be held in the memory of some timeless warp in the mind of someone else. 

Before we left our homestead of twenty plus years, Scotty crushed the cement with Luke's tiny hand-print formed in it. It was a sad moment for us. We hated to get rid of something so precious. Though his hand-print was not genuine,his sweet name was there. But we couldn't bring it with us. The cement needed to go, so did the hand-print.

Sometimes we need to let go of things of the past. We need to crush the memory of it forever. Words others have spoken, things they have done. If they had it to do over, (which who can do that?) they most likely would not. 

Grace is a gift we can give one another. A beautiful, godly, unselfish gift. I am praying for grace to give those who have wounded me in the past.We are promised that we will reap what we sow. 

Oh, Lord, Your grace is the greatest gift. Please help me to sow grace. I trust you for the harvest. Amen, let it be so.