“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

Grace and forgiveness go hand in hand, but are distinctively different.  While forgiveness involves the direct pardoning of sin,  grace is the unearned love, kindness, and mercy that we get from God. Grace is essentially a free gift.

For us humans, it can be the hardest thing in the world to extend forgiveness and grace to others when we’ve been hurt, slighted, or offended (or worse, a serious crime has been committed against us).  But in this life, God calls us to forgive and bestow the same grace on others that we desire from Him. 

In order to do this,  I think we have to start by looking at ourselves. When we find ourselves holding on to hurts, we have to remind ourselves of this truth:

“All too often, we want mercy for ourselves and justice for others” – Anonymous

If you’ve ever thought, “How dare he or she do that to me?”  Just stop and think, “Well, who am I?” 

Think about the times you fell short. Look back and reflect on how many times people brought the hurtful things that you did to your attention?

Or if you think to yourself “I’d never do that to someone…,” consider the fact that you’ve done things others swear they would never do. 

Everyone sins differently, but we’re all riding in the sinner boat together.

And God is gracious enough to forgive us. Every. Single. Time.  No matter what the sin.  No matter how foul or terrible… We sure do love to rest on the fact that God loves us infinitely… But yet we have a hard time extending that same unconditional love to others.

Consider this: If God is perfect and actually has the right to withhold grace and mercy from us, but doesn’t withhold His love…then who are we as sinners to withhold grace and mercy from others?

The next time someone says or does something to offend or anger you, just stop, take a deep breath, and say to yourself: “Now’s the time to be gracious.” Do your best to let it go, and continue to show that person kindness. 

And just think about how much less of a mental burden you’ll have to carry when you’ve learned to master forgiveness and grace…

Sincerely,

Alexia