Grace

By reason we know ourselves to be greater than the creatures of the earth. By love we know ourselves also more compassionate. But only by grace do we see the Creator's sovereignty with both and our mastery over neither. - Clara Hornsworth, 1941 At the height of the Great Depression on a small farm in the middle of Iowa, Clara Hornsworth dreamed of building a veterinary business. Her youth raised around all types of animals gave her an insight that she believed lent to such a calling. But at the time such a profession for a young woman was considered irregular. But that did not stop Clara. For the rest of her life she strived towards her dream, not swayed by the naysayers of her day. Her deep faith and love for her desired profession drove her in her studies and ultimately to go into practice for herself. But life was not kind to Clara. At the dawn of the second world war she suffered from tuberculosis, a disease that not only attacked her body but consumed what little wealth she had. She would die only a few weeks after her only brother was killed at Pearl Harbor. Yet

this story is not of tragedy but of triumph. Upon her death the only possession she had was a small bible. Inside that bible was the above inscription. Next to it, underlined several times, was this statement, presumably the last she ever wrote: "I am near to meet God and I finally understand Him. I would not give up my trials on this earth for all the glories that same has to offer. In His hands I have been given a grace that I could not repay in five lifetimes. That is most precious to me." Clara was given true sight to see in the midst of her personal struggles. Do we also experience that joy in ours?