Grace (Long, Freeform)

This past week (and really the past few months) has been full of lessons, and the biggest ones have been about grace. I was shown instances where I had erred and had been given grace. I was also shown several opportunities to give it. Some errors pertained to observances (one word: leaven) I normally participate in when I’m not completely distracted. Others were random life “occurrences”.

Maybe I received grace because I had given grace to another person for some matter at some point, and maybe it’s because I sincerely felt bad. We’re much more likely to receive grace when we are truly repentant about something. We’re also much more likely to get it from other people when we give it. That’s not always the case, though.

The reason King David received grace after he had done some heinous acts and King Saul did not receive the same grace is because of the authenticity of David’s heart. Yes, he had allowed himself to be tempted by the enemy and had lost the “Bathsheba” battle. Yes, he fell into error when he should have been upholding much higher standards. But he was not happy with himself or how he disrespected the Word when he did what he did. Thus, he got his warning and then prayed for forgiveness, grace, and continued “inner fulfillment” via Psalm 51.

David also chose not to take vengeance on Saul for repeatedly trying to take him out, lol. It’s not always easy to obey the command to fall back when you have every reason not to. It’s also not easy to stomach being called cowardice or fearful when you’re required to duck and swerve instead of fighting back.

I stopped to write about David because certain individuals like to use him as an example of a “horrible person” and can’t understand the favor he had. They highlight his biggest sins and flaws but ignore his times of obedience and restraint. They also can’t understand his heart, but the Almighty knew it well. He sees and knows things that people don’t. Saul did not have the same heart and was not genuinely repentant.

And now… back to present-day grace.

We pray just about every day for help giving and receiving grace, even if we don’t realize that’s what the prayer is about. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” is the old-school version of the prayer text. It refers to general sins and offences others commit(ted) against us and sins we commit(ted) against the Almighty and other people. There’s a reason why it’s recommended as a daily prayer. People will offend us daily, and we’ll probably offend them, too. But if we want forgiveness, we must be willing to give it.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m sure I’ve fussed about plenty “offences” in the privacy of my own space or journaled the raw, real-time emotion. But when it came down to actually seeking vengeance, NOPE. I let many things pass. I passed on some due to command. Others times, I passed because it was healthier for me to do so. Some things aren’t worth spending the spiritual energy.

Yesterday, I was shown a situation similar to something that had happened to me several times over the past decade, but this time I was put in the proverbial driver’s seat. I was shown that these incidents don’t always occur because of malice and that it’s easy for them to happen innocently. I was also shown that people do indeed “witness all types of things” but sometimes choose to look the other way, lol.

People witness and experience all types of things but sometimes choose to look the other way.

I received grace in that particular situation because there was no actual harm or foul. But sometimes people receive grace in much more serious matters and even when harm, foul, and malicious intent do exist.

The point of the story is that grace is an unpredictable thing. God has mercy on who He has mercy on, and none of us have any say in that. We can’t control which people choose to extend us grace, either. All we can do is choose to extend ours without expecting everyone to make the same choice.