Leftovers of Love: A Taste of Unexpected Grace

One Saturday afternoon, I was cleaning up after offering a day-long retreat to a beautiful group of people. After a full day of presenting and listening to stories of faith, my heart was overflowing with joy. I honestly couldn’t imagine anything topping the grace I had already experienced.

And then it did.

We had plenty of leftovers from breakfast and lunch—more than enough, as God so often provides. I noticed a young family, newly relocated to the United States, had been assigned to help clean the retreat space. The mother, who spoke limited English, was vacuuming nearby.

I asked her if it would be okay to offer the extra fruit and cookies to her children. She nodded with a smile. Her little girl sat down on the floor, using a nearby chair as her table, and began to enjoy the unexpected treat.

My tired eyes lit up as I watched her delight in something so simple.

And then came my own unexpected grace.

Her brother walked over to me, his big brown eyes shining, and said, “This is the best day of my life!”

That moment will stay with me forever.

God’s love often shows up in the most surprising ways. What began as a grace-filled retreat turned into even more grace. God’s love is more generous than we can imagine—and that day, I could truly feel it.