Giving Grace

A couple of weeks ago, while dropping my son at pre-school, I witnessed something life changing. Usually when this happens, it is an experience I would like to forget. This time, however, it was something great and wonderful. We were all standing in line waiting for the teacher to open the door and welcome the kids for the day. A mom and her daughter were standing next to me. "Oh my goodness" the mom said, "today is your snack day and I forgot." I stood there anticipating the little girl's reaction. The little girl looked at her mom for a long time and then she said, "that's ok, Mom, I know you have a lot going on right now." The mom leaned down and said, "I'm really sorry, Sarah*, thank you for giving me grace."

I was so shocked, I'm sure my mouth fell open. How much we could all learn from this sweet five-year-old. We have all been at that fork in the road. Someone has let us down in some way. We can take the road that our flesh is screaming for us to travel. We can get angry, ignore the person who has wronged us, we can yell and scream and have a tantrum, we can pout and make sure that person really grasps the severity of their error. Or, we can take the road less traveled. This road feels much less appealing. It is not easy to extend grace to another person. It is not easy to swallow our injured pride and love a person that is not easy to love at the moment. But it is a choice, a decision we must make.

How do we extend grace when we don't feel like it?


Forgive as the Lord forgave you.- Colossians 3:13b

Remember that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. We did not deserve his sacrifice, but he did it anyway because he loved us.

When was the last time you made a mistake?
I made one this morning. It wasn't intentional and it wasn't life altering, it was an irritation. My family had to make a choice. They could say, "that's ok, I make mistakes too" or they could make sure they knew how much I had interrupted their lives.

I was reminded of that little girl and her mom. How did the mom teach her daughter grace? I realized that she hadn't taught her by simply talking about it. She had taught by example. The mom had extended grace when she wanted to yell about the spilled milk, the forgotten tennis shoes or the lost library book.  The mom taught grace when daddy forgot to take the garbage out, when someone cut her off in traffic or when a friend had to cancel plans.

The only way that we can expect grace from others is by giving it to them.

How much grace have you given today?
You better start giving it away, you never know when you are going to need some back!

Lord thank you for your amazing saving grace. Teach me to take the right path towards giving grace. Please help me extend grace to others and remind me that it might be me who needs the grace next time. In the name of Jesus, Amen.


*Name changed.