What does grace look like?

When someone uses the word “grace” it can often bring up a number of different feelings.  According to Dictionary.com, it can often bring up 20 different feelings.  This dawned on me yesterday when I thought of what it meant to “show someone grace”.  What does that mean to people when I say that, but more importantly, what does that mean to me?  Well, according to Dictionary.com I would mean: 

mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.

Grace has always been something that I’ve desired to show people.  To be able to show someone that what they have done in the past doesn’t matter when it comes to carrying for their well being is incredibly important.  All of us have done things in that past that we are not proud of, or should not have done.  Everyone wants a second chance when things have gone wrong, and its our part to help make that possible.

At times it seems easy to know who deserves grace.  For example, I don’t think anyone would be angry at an old lady trying to cross the street and taking a long time.  We understand what she’s going through and freely show grace towards her. I also don’t think that too many people would be angry at a recovering addict who was struggling with his rehab.  It becomes easy to forgive and continue to support someone who is visibly and openly struggling to overcome something.

But what about if it isn’t so clear that we should show grace to someone?  What if someone cuts you off driving to work?  What if a friend lies to us?  What if someone in your church does something that you disagree with?  In some ways I feel that these are the more important times to show people grace and give them a second chance.  When we fail to show grace in these simple day to day situations we not only start to (or continue to) destroy these relationships, but also allow bitterness to begin to (or continue to) set into our hearts.  And plus, someone’s given you a second chance at some point.  Why not return the favor?

Ps.  This blog was partially inspired by the folks over at People of the Second Chance.  Check out there website and help give someone a second chance.  http://www.potsc.com

1 year ago  /  1 note