Grace Falls
I need a lot of grace. Continually.
I fall short. I let people down. I run late. I get tired and don’t function at peak performance. In fact, I usually have the best of intentions, but often promise more than I can realistically deliver.
How about you?
Do you realize that the people around you are probably struggling too? Do you give as much grace as you expect from others?
I am sometimes impatient. Well, maybe more than sometimes.
I try to be gracious. I try to remember that others have a lot on their minds too and may not be paying attention at any given moment. But honestly, sometimes I lose my temper. Sometimes I am short with people. I try to think before I speak. Usually, it works. But if I’m being honest, my car seems to be a place where things come out of my mouth that I would be embarrassed for others to hear.
As Christians, we know we are supposed to demonstrate patience, kindness, compassion, and love. So why is it so easy to be broken and fall short of our own values?
Maybe because we’re human. We are very imperfect. Of course, grace gives us permission to be less than perfect, even though we strive to be more.
Every person you encounter is carrying something. Stress. Fear. Worry. Exhaustion. Grief. Financial pressure. Relationship struggles. Health concerns. Most people are fighting battles you know nothing about.
The cashier who seems distracted. The driver who cuts you off. The friend who forgot to call. The family member who snapped at you.
They may simply be struggling.
Just like you.
Of course, most of the social media profiles look far from distraught, giving us the false impression that everyone else is just great, and we are the ones left with the daily burdens. Like we’re on an island, alone in our struggle.
That is by design. The enemy wants us to feel defeated and alone.
This world presents us with plenty of challenges. Some days it feels like they are multiplying. If I didn’t intentionally do things to protect my mindset and keep my eyes on God, I would quickly become discouraged, frustrated, and hopeless. I suspect many of us would.
Thankfully, we are not without hope.
We have Jesus.
Jesus lived in this broken world. He experienced disappointment, betrayal, hardship, and suffering. He overcame the world so we don’t have to carry every burden on our own. He has already won the battle.
That doesn’t mean life becomes easy. It means we don’t fight alone.
There are many things we spend our energy worrying about that we cannot solve. We cannot fix every problem. We cannot carry the weight of the entire world. But we can take responsibility for our actions, our attitudes, and our responses.
We can choose grace.
We can choose to pause before reacting.
We can choose to forgive when someone disappoints us.
We can choose to remember how often we need forgiveness ourselves, and maybe extend it to others even when it doesn’t “feel” like we should.
Because the truth is, every one of us falls.
Every one of us has bad days.
Every one of us needs grace.
The beautiful thing is that God doesn’t run out of it.
So, the next time someone lets you down, before you assume the worst, remember how many times you’ve needed understanding yourself. Or how many times someone has extended you a bit of grace. I am thankful for it daily. I might not make it, otherwise.
Grace falls on us daily from a loving God. Maybe it’s time we let some of it fall on others too.