Becoming A Grace-Giver

Lots of things are indelibly imprinted on my mind...little things, big things, meaningless moments and life-changing events. Things like my first kiss; the day my mom pulled her yellow station wagon right up in front of the school to pick me up and I pretended not to see her (sorry, Mom -- I had guilt for at least 20 years over that!); the moment before the car accident I had at age 22; my dad's voice telling me to get my nose out of a book and look at the scenery on vacation; 6:00 AM breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my honey on our wedding day; the movie we were watching when the call came that my grandpa had passed. Moments that make up our lives.

One of those moments I seem destined to remember is a sermon one of my favorite pastors, Mark Craig, preached probably 18 or 20 years ago, entitled "Becoming a Grace Giver." It was about being gracious, thinking the best of people, and giving them room to be less than perfect.

I still  meditate on that concept of being a grace-giver, and particularly as health issues arise and I have more off days than I used to. Sometimes I think my health issues give me a special perspective and a more tender heart toward people in general, but I suppose the exact opposite could hold true in someone else's life. Doesn't it, after all, come down to a matter of choice...like most things in our lives.

Does my health issue make me sweeter or spicier? Am I more of who I want to be because of what I deal with every day? I think I can be.

I choose grace.

The grace to take food to others in need, even when I don't feel well. The grace to honor another's accomplishment while my own goes unnoticed. The grace to pray for healing in others when God has not granted me that same request. The grace to let someone go ahead of me in the grocery lane when I am so tired I can hardly get myself home. The grace to think outside my own little world every single day.

I choose grace.

The grace to think the best of someone exhibiting their worst moments. The server at the steakhouse that didn't look at me when taking my order and kept looking past me when she checked back...did she leave a half-finished fight at home? Is she looking for her husband to come in and make amends? I choose to give grace, and believe that might be true.

The grace to believe I may be misinterpreting someone's actions. The person with a full cart who jumped in front of me at the grocery store when I only had 6 items. Do they have a sick child at home making them so focused that they didn't even see me? I choose to give grace and believe there might be a reason for their behavior.

The grace to acknowledge that I might have been less than clear, or less than tactful in what I said. The customer who cuts me off mid-sentence with an acrid remark...are they so used to being spoken to disrespectfully that they expect it from everyone they meet? I choose to give grace and believe this isn't who they really are.

Will I be wrong sometimes? Absolutely. But does it matter? Why--why does it matter? I would rather be a grace-giver every single time.

Lord, help me think the best, choose the best, offer my best, and believe the best every time. As I balance health issues and life, Lord, let my hardship make me softer, more sympathetic, more gracious.

Lord, help me be a grace-giver.

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.