Is it possible to show grace to someone truly in need of grace?
Don't pass this off as another post about caring for the homeless, disabled, the widow, orphan, or the poor. Grace really isn't for them. At least not in this sense.
I'm not referring to the grace God gives to every human being, whether it is received or not. I am referring to the challenge of "US" showing one another grace. I am writing about that person in your life that refuses to see you as a person, viewing only your parts, or those folks who are tearing you apart. Get a picture in your mind of the person in your life who has dumped on you more than a bird house shingle. Yes. That person. How do you show that dirty a-hole grace?
I don't recall where I read or heard this, but I remember "grace" described this way...
If someone breaks into your home and brutally murders a loved one of yours, you have the following options.
1. Grab a gun and do the same to them. That's called revenge
2. Call the police and have them arrested. That's justice
3. Tell that person you forgive them (wish them well) but you never want to see them again the rest of your life. That is mercy
or...
After forgiving that person, you tell them, "I want to take care of you for the rest of your life."
That is grace
I think most would agree that our knee jerk reaction to this scenario is #1 or #2. Maybe #3, but certainly not #4. This is why I believe that we cannot show grace to the person that requires it the most, without God actually doing it through us. I would go as far to say that grace is the ultimate proof that the life-changing love of God is a reality in the center of our being. We cannot pull off #4 in our own power. Something divine must be swirling within us.
So who is it that requires the most grace from you?
Who's dumping on you?
