His Grace Is Enough…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Over the past several weeks, our patience, strength and calling have been put to the test. As one might imagine with this many teenage boys under one roof (9 boys, 13-years and up), things are bound to go wrong from time to time. Now, add backgrounds of abuse, abandonment and being a child of the social service system to that mix, and problems are inevitable.




We’ve been going through some strong opposition from the older boys of late, which is trickling down to our youngest boys fast. The enemy knows what he’s doing, and he does it well in the lives of these boys. They often do not want to comply with rules and are often disobedient, doing what they want and what they will. Bad attitudes and strong personalities have been pushing us harder than we’ve ever been pushed before in our lives. This has brought us through several difficult discussions and very long nights, sometimes sleepless nights, and several tears. However, God continues to work through us and show us things about ourselves and about these children that move us forward and gives us insight and strength to keep going.


I have found my wife, Tiffany, several times in tears. As her husband, I want to fix the issues. With little time for sleep, rest and lack of time with our own children, we often feel stretched thin. However, there are those moments when the Voice of Truth speaks out gently and His grace pierces through the darkness to show us more profoundly His heart. As days grow long and our bodies are drained, we find a place of peace in God’s arms of grace. Just when we fear we can’t move forward, God lifts us up and says, “My grace is enough.” A calling to orphan care ministry is not an easy calling; the job is demanding, but His grace is enough. We had been told this many times before, but never did we imagine how difficult it might be, but HIS grace is enough.


As I looked into the eyes of two young boys who decided they were big enough to run away, both 10 years-old, His still small voice spoke to my heart, “My grace is enough.” What does this mean – His grace is enough? Grace, grace, God’s grace; grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God’s grace; grace that is greater than all our sin.


This grace, His perfect grace! The Message says it this way in Romans 5:20-21: All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When its sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah (who is Christ Jesus), invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.


As Tiffany and I chose grace over law and dove into the heart-issue behind these two little ones leaving, a blanket of grace fell upon these little ones’ lives through His perfect understanding; tears rolled down their cheeks. As we held them in our arms, God’s grace also touched my life, and tears ran down my cheeks. His Grace is truly enough. In the past 48 hours, we have seen a new smile on the faces of these two little boys. We provided them each with a journal to call their own, a secret place to write down their thoughts and prayers between them and God.


Continue to pray as Tiffany and I fight daily for the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of these little ones. His power is made perfect in weakness; pray for us. We love you all so much and could not do this challenging work without the strength your support provides.


In the Ministry of the Cross,

Matthew & Tiffany