Give Grace

Grace (n): courteous goodwill

Lately, I have been praying a lot about having a gracious heart. With everything going on in the world right now and the challenges that this past year has brought on, I have found that my only comfort is the grace that I am given. And that I hope to give to others.

If you have ever experienced grace, which I am sure most of you have at some point or another, you know how good it feels. Think about how many times a day you need grace. Maybe you mess up at work and you need your boss to give you some grace. Maybe you get in a fight with your partner over something that has nothing to do with the two of you and you need them to give you grace. Maybe you forget to answer a text or phone call from a friend and you need them to give you grace. I mean honestly, the list could go ON AND ON.  I think sometimes when we think about grace, we think about it on such a large scale, that we don’t realize how much grace we need a day. You don’t just give and get grace for the big stuff, grace is required in the little everyday stuff too!

If I have learned anything in the last year, it is that grace is a skill. In order to give grace, you have to consciously put yourself in someone else’s shoes, see where they are coming from, and choose to cut them some slack. Grace is practiced. Grace is a mindset. And I think there is something really beautiful about that. But giving grace can be really hard. And you want to know why?

It is because when you choose to give grace, you have to be selfless. You have to find it to be a privilege to give others grace… because it is a PRIVILEGE for you to receive it. Because what grace does is it gives you a second chance. And I could count what feels like a million times where I have needed a second chance. I am sure you could too if you are being honest with yourself. What a shame it would have been if you didn’t receive those second chances from other gracious hearts.

When you give grace, you are a light in someone’s darkness. And that holds a lot of weight. So even when it is tough and trying, I pray you choose GRACE. I hope you choose to give others the benefit of the doubt. I hope you choose compassion over criticism.

I have said it before and I will say it again. There are a million things in the world that will have you feeling like you aren’t enough. And when that voice in your head says “you aren’t enough” – Grace whispers back “You are sufficient even with your flaws and mistakes. You are enough. You are given a second chance.”

I hope today, and every day, you choose to be gracious! Be a light in someone else’s darkness. I promise, its not only good for their heart, but it is good for your heart, too.

XO-

Kelly