Don't Waste Grace!

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many~ Hebrews 12:15

Here is the content of a recent conversation I had with one of my children, who will remain nameless to protect their identity…

Child: Mom, will you pray for me?

Me: Sure. Is there anything in particular you would like me to pray about?

Child: I have a math test today.

Me: How long did you have to study for the test?

Child: (sheepishly) All of fall break…

Me: So, did you study for this test at all or are you relying solely on the power of prayer to get you through?

Child: (blushing furiously) Prayer, mostly…

Me: Mostly or entirely?

Child: Almost entirely…

I did pray for the child; it was hard to pray with a straight face because I knew that this child had spent all of fall break perfecting the art of taking it easy. My husband and I both had a good laugh when I shared the story with him later that day.  

The conversation at dinner between my husband and child went something like this…

Dad to Child: So, I heard you had a math test today?

Child: Mom told you?

Dad: Mom tells me everything.

Child: Don’t worry, it all worked out because the test was rescheduled!

Dad: Do you know what you got today?

Child: Yes! An answer to prayer!

Dad: No you got grace… Don’t waste it.

My husband’s wise and thoughtful answer got me thinking about the nature and meaning of grace. God’s grace has been defined in many ways by people who are much smarter than I; some of the more common descriptions are: unmerited favor, kindness, undeserved mercy, God’s empowering presence, God’s riches at Christ’s expense.  All of these are very good and theologically correct answers, but I prefer my own more homespun definition: grace is a shot at an undeserved do-over, an opportunity for a second chance.

God is the originator of grace. It all started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve did the ONE THING God asked them not to and instead of ending the human race at the get-go God gave them a shot at a much needed do-over. God has been in the business of grace ever since. Grace was modeled perfectly in the life of Jesus and through His death and resurrection; a second chance at life was made available to anyone humble enough to admit their need. Grace isn’t just about salvation; grace can and should be a way of life for a Christ-follower.

 As Christians we are called to be both givers and receivers of grace. It’s easy to be a receiver of grace (ask my kid); it’s in our nature to long for a second chance.  It is much harder to be a giver of grace; it seems to go against the grain of human nature to give second chances.

 We give grace by talking through our hurt or anger and working things out rather than simply discarding difficult relationships. We give grace by forgiving and completely letting go of hurts and grudges. We give grace by overlooking offenses and choosing to think the best of people. We give grace by acting like Jesus.

Grace is essential for Christian community to thrive. A lack of it destroys marriages, separates friends, obliterates any sort of intimacy, puts a wall between parents and children and gives the devil enough of a foothold to cause all sorts of havoc and trouble. Giving grace is not an easy thing, it’s essential because grace is freeing. It frees us from the bondage of resentment and bitterness and opens the doors for true Christian community to flourish.

There are two ways we can waste grace; the first is to deliberately blow the second chances that we are graciously given. When God or another person gives us a much-needed do-over we need to do our best to make their effort worthwhile. We do that by repenting, changing our minds about our sin and then changing our behavior. Repentance always begins in our thinking; right thinking transforms behavior.

The second way we waste grace is when we throw away God-given opportunities to be a givers of grace. We waste grace when we obsessively focus on stuff that is best left in God’s hands. We waste grace when we are given the opportunity to see the good and we choose to see the bad, we waste grace when we refuse to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Life is too short and people are too precious to throwaway those God-given opportunities, my prayer for you this week, reader, is that you will neither waste the grace you are given nor waste an opportunity to be a giver of grace.

As God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory~ 2^nd Corinthians 4:15 NLT