Giving Grace

In college, I was forced to wrestle with the attributes of God and His character. A topic of great difficulty for me was the topic of Grace. I believed in the grace of God, but I didn't fully grasp it. Heck I'm still far from fully comprehending the grace of God, but who truly understands any given attribute of God? 

As with most things, we often fail to take such things into balance. We all too often fall to one extreme or another, leaving us acting as if grace doesn't even exists or forgetting that God is also our Judge and will hold us accountable for our actions at all. Sin is evil. God hates sin. There is grace for those who repent. 

God has been reminding me of the importance of grace in my life: recognizing my sinful state, being grateful for the grace that I don't deserve but am given regardless, and accepting with joy the reality that I am called to do the same. Grace and love for all. I am not God, but I represent him on this earth. I am, therefore, called to to speak truth to those I encounter, be honest about sin, and then show grace. 

I often fail to show grace for the small things. When a lot of grace is required I am able to give it, but it's the small subtle actions that shouldn't be so hard to forgive or to show grace for that I struggle with. This is mainly with other people though, grace for family is a much more difficult ground to conquer. In some ways, this feels like a great tragedy. Shouldn't family be the easiest to forgive and to give grace to? For many this may be true, but I do not believe this is the rule, nor do I believe that a struggle to show grace to a family member is any more of an issue than the struggle to give grace to a total stranger. 

Christ taught grace and He displayed this in his eating with tax collectors and talking with prostitutes. He gave Himself to the sinners of this world in ultimate sacrifice for their sins, and this is the love He has for us and it is the love that He demands of us. Thankfully...there is grace! For we are not capable of full and complete love as our God has. We are the fallen: the dark and hideous shadows of creation, and yet God loves us and grants us grace to be able to give grace to others. So next time that guy at work won't shut up and just rants away about stuff he knows nothing about, when that friend shafts you and leaves you high and dry, or that woman behind the counter of the gas station is a total jerk to you,  remember that Christ gave us grace for our sins in entire and that giving grace for minor things as a rude cashier, an annoying co-worker, or a betrayal of a friend is not too big a thing to give. 

Grace and Peace,

Stephen