As Christians, the greatest gift we have ever received is the gift of grace from our Heavenly Father. When God sent his only son, Jesus, to die for our sins on the cross, he showed us tremendous grace by offering us the gift of salvation and an eternal life with Him. Although we will never be able to offer grace of that same magnitude in our human lives, we can (and should) still offer grace in all of our relationships.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” –Ephesians 4:32
Because God forgave us of all our sins and extended us grace when we did not deserve it, it is our responsibility to extend this same gift to everyone we come in contact with. Not only because it is what God instructed us to do, but also as a way to shine Jesus’ light into the lives of others who may not know Him.
It may seem impossible to offer grace to everyone, especially those that have been hateful or harmful to you in the past. But grace isn’t dependent on the worthiness of the other person. It is by its very definition, undeserved.
When God sent Jesus to suffer humiliation, torture and a painful death on the cross, we did not deserve His forgiveness. We do not deserve eternal life with Him in heaven but He has still extended to us through His magnificent grace.
In our relationships, many of the “sins” that have caused rifts, pale in comparison. If God can show us such great compassion, how can we not extend grace to our family members? Our friends? Our coworkers and neighbors?
Relationships will always be difficult but by bringing grace into the picture:
- No one has to live up to an ideal of perfection.
- Mistakes are allowed.
- Forgiveness is given.
- Each person in the relationship accepts the other for who they are, including their flaws.
When you pause to reflect on “grace”, who is God bringing to mind? What will you do to extend grace today?
