He may have dialed a number he shouldn’t have, but how many times have I said something I shouldn’t have?
He may have let you down, but how many times have I let others down?
He may have walked one way and talked another, but how many times have I done just the same?
While I am not making excuses for poor decisions, I’m noticing that we, as the Church, have stopped giving what we were given in the first place:
Grace.
We point our fingers, roll our eyes, and judge, judge, judge. So and so is having a baby, so we pause our Christian podcast to gossip. So and so dropped out of school, so we stop reading Captivating to text our high school friends about it. Our football coach makes a bad decision, so we blow up Facebook with how ashamed we are.
It’s just wrong. And sadly, I’m just as guilty of it as anyone. Where is grace, and why is it a lost art? Weren’t we all given grace in the first place?
Even if you do get your steps in each day (some days I get 93) and go on juice cleanses (I just shower every day), none of us will ever be in perfect spiritual health. Because if we were, we would have no need for a doctor— a Savior.
Jesus did not come to point fingers. He came to empathize, to lavish grace, and to show compassion. He came to show how fruitful life with Him could be. He came to give us the ultimate picture of grace, by dying a lowly death to pay for our countless sins.
His grace changed my life. And I assume it changed yours. So let’s show others this grace that saved us. May we never condone sinful behavior, but may we not condemn either. Extend a hand, a prayer, or a listening ear. How many lives would be changed if we showed others that our Lord bends down to love in the midst of our sin?
Hugh isn’t perfect. Nor are any of us. But thankfully, the grace of Jesus rescues us from our imperfections. So accept grace. Give grace. And praise Him for the gift of grace in the first place.