A Cup Of Grace

How many times a day do you find yourself extending grace to other people? I find myself extending grace to others throughout every day. Sometimes my grace is met with a thank you, sometimes an apology, and sometimes even disbelief. Nonetheless, I continue to be an extender of grace.

 Now, about how many times a day do you need to have grace extended to you? Is it given to you during your time of need? If so, do you receive it? If your answer to the latter question is often no, I completely understand. We tend to be much harder on ourselves than we are on others and others are on us.

 Every day I look to be better than I was the day before. However, there’s a difference between expecting more of yourself and being hard on yourself. Coming down on oneself can cause a ripple effect throughout the rest of our day and even spill over into the lives of others around us. I am truly glad to know that grace can rescue a bad day.  “Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part” – Philip Yancey.

 Lara Heacock shares this:

 “When you’re doing hard things.

 When you’re going through change.
 When you’re noticing old patterns creeping back in.
 When you don’t feel like you showed up at your best.
 When you’re lost in the whirling dervish of busy.
 When your heart feels heavy.
 When your mood feels flat.
 When you pick a fight for no reason.
 When you lose your temper.
 When you make a mistake.

When you are having a very human experience, give yourself grace.”

Only you can attest to what causes you to be hard on yourself. But, you have to remember that grace is not just for the other person; grace knows your name as well!

 The beauty of Grace is that it’s a free gift! You won’t find it on the shelf with a price tag, or on a platform holding a trophy, nor does it receive a paycheck at the end of a shift, because it can not be bought, won, nor earned; it can only be freely given…and hopefully received.

 So when you start to doubt or become critical of yourself, give yourself permission to be a work in progress and pour yourself a cup of grace.