“Teach us to delight in simple things; And mirth that has no bitter springs; Forgiveness free of evil done, And love to all men ‘neath the sun."
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
I've been thinking on, and reading Scriptures regarding the topic of "grace".
Grace is greater than sin. We have the grace of God over so much of our lives!
We need to extend much more grace on our fellow man than we do. And I am talking about Believers! Grace is tough because as a Christian we don't get to say "gee, I think I'll go out and ______(fill in whatever sin you can relate to here) because God's grace will cover me anyways." If we still think like that, we are not spiritually mature.
I'm talking about extending grace to people who might not be where you are.
We don't know the hearts of every person. We often don't even know the hearts of the ones closest to us! We tend to judge, don't we? Admit it. We all do it to some degree. We are human.
We also tend to not forgive very readily. Maybe some of us are more forgiving than others. My husband thinks I forgive much more easily than he does. And sometimes I do. But...I do keep in mind that forgiveness is a choice. By not forgiving, I am sinning. Because Jesus told us to forgive, didn't He?
Forgiveness is the act that shows others the gift of grace. Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Maybe it is a family member, a friend, a co-worker/colleague, fellow Believer in your congregation, a neighbor.
Forgive them. Extend grace to them.
And don't judge. Maybe that overwhelmed woman with the 5 children is really a single mom who is earning minimum wage. Or maybe she is a millionnaire in a loveless marriage.
Maybe the guy with the tattoos and body piercings, bad smell and unkempt hair is a former POW. Maybe the pregnant teen is a victim of abuse/incest. Maybe the supermom of the neighbor is lonely or depressed. You get the idea. We don't know the internals of a person just by looking at the externals.
Why am I writing about this? Because this year, as I have been working in a local elementary school I have found my self "judging" some of the parents who have come in to the classroom. I like to tell my self I am really just "getting a feel for them". As a former Master teacher and ed psych person, I have had to really get past the surfacy stuff with the parents and dig into their feelings, thoughts, etc. in order to help them help their special needs children. This year, by being just an assistant, I have not had to deal directly with the parents on a deeper level than just classroom issues. I haven't had to know them intimately like in years past. This has led me to be a little judgemental. Thoughts like "hmmm...how come J---'s mother can't put him in cleaner clothes, the kid needs a bath", or "that mom seems more concerned with her botox than with her child's education". This might seem like innocent stuff but really it isn't....it is judgementalism.
I thought I was "over" that sin. I mean, I am a tolerant person, aren't I?? Yet.....that whisper of God has pointed out to my heart and soul that even those thoughts are ones that judge. I don't know these families situations (for the most part). I need to extend grace to them.
But first......
to go to the One who forgives. To confess it.
And accept His gift of grace.
And then pass it on.Grace is greater than sin. We have the grace of God over so much of our lives!
We need to extend much more grace on our fellow man than we do. And I am talking about Believers! Grace is tough because as a Christian we don't get to say "gee, I think I'll go out and ______(fill in whatever sin you can relate to here) because God's grace will cover me anyways." If we still think like that, we are not spiritually mature.
I'm talking about extending grace to people who might not be where you are.
We don't know the hearts of every person. We often don't even know the hearts of the ones closest to us! We tend to judge, don't we? Admit it. We all do it to some degree. We are human.
We also tend to not forgive very readily. Maybe some of us are more forgiving than others. My husband thinks I forgive much more easily than he does. And sometimes I do. But...I do keep in mind that forgiveness is a choice. By not forgiving, I am sinning. Because Jesus told us to forgive, didn't He?
Forgiveness is the act that shows others the gift of grace. Is there someone in your life who needs your forgiveness? Maybe it is a family member, a friend, a co-worker/colleague, fellow Believer in your congregation, a neighbor.
Forgive them. Extend grace to them.
And don't judge. Maybe that overwhelmed woman with the 5 children is really a single mom who is earning minimum wage. Or maybe she is a millionnaire in a loveless marriage.
Maybe the guy with the tattoos and body piercings, bad smell and unkempt hair is a former POW. Maybe the pregnant teen is a victim of abuse/incest. Maybe the supermom of the neighbor is lonely or depressed. You get the idea. We don't know the internals of a person just by looking at the externals.
Why am I writing about this? Because this year, as I have been working in a local elementary school I have found my self "judging" some of the parents who have come in to the classroom. I like to tell my self I am really just "getting a feel for them". As a former Master teacher and ed psych person, I have had to really get past the surfacy stuff with the parents and dig into their feelings, thoughts, etc. in order to help them help their special needs children. This year, by being just an assistant, I have not had to deal directly with the parents on a deeper level than just classroom issues. I haven't had to know them intimately like in years past. This has led me to be a little judgemental. Thoughts like "hmmm...how come J---'s mother can't put him in cleaner clothes, the kid needs a bath", or "that mom seems more concerned with her botox than with her child's education". This might seem like innocent stuff but really it isn't....it is judgementalism.
I thought I was "over" that sin. I mean, I am a tolerant person, aren't I?? Yet.....that whisper of God has pointed out to my heart and soul that even those thoughts are ones that judge. I don't know these families situations (for the most part). I need to extend grace to them.
But first......
to go to the One who forgives. To confess it.
And accept His gift of grace.
4 comments:
Excellent post, Faith! :)
Very good for all of us to self examination daily. I like your thoughts. I read Romans 13 to 16 today and this was in that reading. "Yes each of us will give an account of himself to God. So don't criticize each other anymore." Romans 14:12, 13a.
Thanks for your words Faith.
I loved this! You are surely a gal after my own heart! (((((HUGS)))) sandi
What an outstanding post. Found you through Peggy's Daybook. Will be back to visit.
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