I heard a sermon from Passion City Church in Atlanta and a phrase that stuck with me is “carrier of grace”… someone that overlooks an offense is a good way to sum it up, someone who has this graceful quality like Jesus did.
Right off the bat, I can think of two examples of this in my own life– one from my parents and one from a friend.
The parents… My Mom and Dad and one of my sisters came to visit me in Nashville. For a reason that was so trivial, I was in a sassy mood and when I had the opportunity to help my dad with something important to him, I let the trivial thing determine my actions and words. I was rude to my dad and I regret it, to this very day. He and my mom accomplished the task I was unwilling to help with. You see, the natural way to respond to my pettiness would be to dish it back to me… but my parents failed at being typical humans. They rose above this by being amazing examples of Christians, because while they were doing the task I refused to do, requiring them to drive around Nashville (a city they don’t know well), they even went out of their way to bless me in a way I hadn’t expected or asked for. Who does that, if you don’t have God in your life? My father and mother were carriers of grace.
The friend… in order to keep things anonymous I’ll just say this: my friend had a good reason to be disappointed with me, but this friend showed grace and generosity in a situation where neither were deserved, or expected. I think teachings of “the world” would not have been so kind but this person surprised me with the amount of grace and generosity they showed me. It was something I won’t soon forget.
My parents and this friend both were great reminders that living a life in the footsteps of Jesus is so countercultural and quite magnetic.
The lessons… Be a carrier of grace. Be generous. Don’t throw hissy fits about trivial things.
Have you experienced grace this week? Have you shown grace to someone? Share in the comments so your story can be a blessing to me and others.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Out of the Wilderness
