God has really been dealing with me on grace. Can I be honest? It’s been a tough lesson. The struggle has been real for me.
It’s easy to say extend grace. But I don’t think people really know what that means. That doesn’t mean let things slide. Grace is not an excuse to avoid discipline. Grace is unmerited favor, not a disciplinary substitute.
Max Lucado says “it was grace that led the Samaritan to open a tab at the local inn in his name to care for the Jewish man that was beaten and left to die.” (Luke 10:30-37).
Grace goes above and beyond. In today’s terms, grace doesn’t just cook. It sets the table and washes the dishes too.
And even though I now know what grace is, it’s still hard to give. It feels like the more grace I give, the more vulnerable I become. And the more vulnerable I become the more I seem to be hurt by it. However, in the lesson of grace God has reminded me that just because I’m extending grace doesn’t mean that everyone else is.
People speak of unrequited love, but I speak of unrequited grace. And just like love, it doesn’t matter if it’s returned, it should still be given. The way grace works is that it’s given regardless of the who, what, when, where, and how.