When our twin girls, Doren and Cariza, were first born, people would come up to us and more often than not ask the same question: "How do you cope with raising two at once?" At first, our pat answer was "We don't know." Now we say, "Only by the grace of God."

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the word "grace" and its significance, not only in my spiritual life, but in my day-to-day existence. Grace, in the theological sense, is defined in various ways as "unmerited love," undeserved gift," or "gift of righteousness." Grace is what we received when God sent His gift, in the very person of Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

We certainly did not do anything to merit such an act, nor was God obligated to do it. But He did because He loved us.

In the everyday sense, Webster defines grace as "the virtue of godliness." Can you imagine a virtue that reflects the very nature of God? It is the virtue that allows us to respond like Jesus would respond in any situation. What a powerful concept!

Grace is the virtue that kicks in when the house is a mess, the kids are sick and cranky, the husband is late from work, there is a mountain of laundry to be done, there is no food in the house, and you have a splitting headache.

This is what allowed my husband and me to endure sleeping in shifts for weeks so that the twins could be changed and fed around the clock. It is what made me respond with restraint when at the age of three, our oldest daughter Brenica took a permanent black marker, used our new white armoire for canvas, then proudly announced, "Look what I made, Mom!"

It is the virtue that allows you to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19) even though every cell of your carnal brain wants to lash out and be ugly. This is the characteristic that comes to the fore when a loved one has betrayed you but you are still willing to give him or her a second chance.

Grace is what is at work when someone cuts in front of you in traffic and makes an obscene gesture and you can still say, "It's alright." It is what surfaces when you have wronged someone and you have the courage to say, "I'm sorry." Most importantly, grace is what Jesus displayed on the cross, when in the midst of His pain and suffering He was able to pray, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

We need grace and we need it daily. The good news is, we can have as much of it as we need, if we will only ask. It is free and the supply is limitless. Thank you, Lord, for your awesome gift of grace.

Brenda Valenzuela-Fortune lives in Silverdale, Washington, with her husband, Don, and three daughters.

Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.