The Grace of Extending Grace

David Crowder Band – This I Know

My wife recently shared a message called “I am a Child of God” at a Friday Fire prayer meeting. You can listen to it here. She spoke a lot about the recent Jerusalem Ministry soccer camp and about the lessons she learned from witnessing the faith and perspective of the young kids. She was also led to share a personal story of how she was blessed by my father during our recent visit to America…

While we were in the States my dad gave both Sky and me new cell phones to use while we were there. My dad works for Becker Electric, so these phones weren’t smartphones but instead phones used by people doing construction type work. My dad planned to use them for the company after we were done with them.

Right after my dad gave them to us we went outside to drive and visit friends. After we left the house Sky realized she didn’t have the phone. We didn’t think much of it, until we returned home to find the phone had slipped out of her pocket on the driveway and then gotten RUN OVER by the car. Eeeesh! Because it was a construction phone it was still somehow working, but it was beat up and bent quite a bit… just a few hours after it was taken out of the package. Sky felt really bad and I tried to reassure her it would be okay.

To Sky’s surprise my dad’s first question after she presented him the phone and told him what happened was a very sincere, “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” She was surprised and told him that she was fine, it was just the phone that got messed up. My dad was relaxed and just chuckled, saying, “Well, good. Because you are worth far more than a cell phone.” He told her not to worry about it.

Sky had grown up with a stepfather who commonly had fits of anger directed towards her for even the smallest of things. She had grown up feeling tense and nervous around him, and his attitude and composure only continued to worsen until her mom finally had to divorce him. His demeanor and physical condition are completely different from my dad’s.

Sky brought up the story of the cell phone with my parents last night as we were Skyping together. My dad just smiled and reiterated what he had said before about Sky being far more valuable than a phone. My mom then added, “What would it have profited your dad for getting upset? It would have just made him feel bad and you feel bad. That would have made things worse for everyone.” My dad nodded and said, “You actually receive grace whenever you extend it.” What a life lesson! There is a reason why my parents both look so healthy as they are about to celebrate their 40th anniversary together. If they had chosen to get all upset with each other and with other people for every mistake and every injustice, then I know their health would be bad and their demeanor would be unwelcoming. Instead friends speak of my parents as being two of the sweetest people they know.

Luke 6:37-38 – Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

Those are verses to live by. The next time someone upsets you or you have an urge to judge someone, instead extend the benefit of the doubt and show grace. Keep the same perspective my dad has. You’ll find your blood pressure, your thought life, and your demeanor will be a lot more healthy and relaxed than ever before. That is the power of grace!