Grace is defined as God's unmerited favor. It is favor we don't deserve and we cannot earn. Because we are people who believe we have to work to obtain good things or blessings; we often forget that God does not think like us or act like we do in most situations. We tend to take an all powerful, all knowing God and make him a mere mortal like us. We assume God will act like we act when we get hurt, angry or lonely.
When I was growing up, the Golden rule was used a lot. Treat people the way you want to be treated. It was a mutual respect and if we focused on being respectful, we would receive the same type of respect. I still apply the rule now, but it is used in a different way and coupled with a new way of thinking. I treat people the way I want to be treated, but I don't expect others to do the same. Over time, I have learned that not everyone was taught the same way I was taught. Some basic principles in life, just like the Proverbs in the Bible, are not taught or used.
In light of all the recent events in the news, I began to ponder on grace. With respect to the Bank of America employee who was called out via social media for her role in the calamity that took place in Dallas and the young man who shot the church goers in Charleston; will we as a people give them the grace to recover? Will we allow them the opportunity to mess up and then love them with the love that God will have for us? Will we grant them the grace we would want God to grant us? Will we respond our usual way or will we start to wonder and ponder about how God would respond in this situation?
My initial response to the Bank of America employee was to reflect on her colleagues and peers at work. Some of them have to be people of different ethnicities. What would they think and more importantly, how would they respond if she returned to work? If she has kids in school, how would the administration and staff treat her? Lastly, how will she be received in her church if she attends? I then put myself in a situation to ponder what would God do. I felt immense pain for this woman. Has she embarked upon this time in her life only to find out that everyone has abandoned her, as well as withdrawn in sheer silence? To the churches in the surrounding area of all denominations and especially to the traditionally black churches, will you reach out to her the way God would want you to reach her and love her?
For the young man from South Carolina, I wondered what it would be like to be his mother. Did she reflect on his childhood when he was just a toddler? Did she wonder what happened and how did she go wrong? In some cases, people seem doomed from the beginning due to their environment. There are country towns with no work and nothing to do. Crime is inevitable, because an idle mind is the devil's workplace. It is no surprise that towns are infected with drug addictions and generations of farming and manufacturing children are hopelessly wandering around. I wonder if the churches, in the town where the parents live will reach out and give them grace and mercy - the way would we want God to grant them to us.
As a nations, if we don't learn to respond in love and give the grace we would want to receive, the darkness will continue to cover our land. If we don't reach out and grab those who fall by the way side and give them something they might not have received through life experiences, we will be divided and conquered by Satan.
Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration, rebirth or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor. A preacher once explained grace with this acronym:
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
When I was growing up, the Golden rule was used a lot. Treat people the way you want to be treated. It was a mutual respect and if we focused on being respectful, we would receive the same type of respect. I still apply the rule now, but it is used in a different way and coupled with a new way of thinking. I treat people the way I want to be treated, but I don't expect others to do the same. Over time, I have learned that not everyone was taught the same way I was taught. Some basic principles in life, just like the Proverbs in the Bible, are not taught or used.
In light of all the recent events in the news, I began to ponder on grace. With respect to the Bank of America employee who was called out via social media for her role in the calamity that took place in Dallas and the young man who shot the church goers in Charleston; will we as a people give them the grace to recover? Will we allow them the opportunity to mess up and then love them with the love that God will have for us? Will we grant them the grace we would want God to grant us? Will we respond our usual way or will we start to wonder and ponder about how God would respond in this situation?
My initial response to the Bank of America employee was to reflect on her colleagues and peers at work. Some of them have to be people of different ethnicities. What would they think and more importantly, how would they respond if she returned to work? If she has kids in school, how would the administration and staff treat her? Lastly, how will she be received in her church if she attends? I then put myself in a situation to ponder what would God do. I felt immense pain for this woman. Has she embarked upon this time in her life only to find out that everyone has abandoned her, as well as withdrawn in sheer silence? To the churches in the surrounding area of all denominations and especially to the traditionally black churches, will you reach out to her the way God would want you to reach her and love her?
For the young man from South Carolina, I wondered what it would be like to be his mother. Did she reflect on his childhood when he was just a toddler? Did she wonder what happened and how did she go wrong? In some cases, people seem doomed from the beginning due to their environment. There are country towns with no work and nothing to do. Crime is inevitable, because an idle mind is the devil's workplace. It is no surprise that towns are infected with drug addictions and generations of farming and manufacturing children are hopelessly wandering around. I wonder if the churches, in the town where the parents live will reach out and give them grace and mercy - the way would we want God to grant them to us.
As a nations, if we don't learn to respond in love and give the grace we would want to receive, the darkness will continue to cover our land. If we don't reach out and grab those who fall by the way side and give them something they might not have received through life experiences, we will be divided and conquered by Satan.
Grace is divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration, rebirth or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine favor. A preacher once explained grace with this acronym:
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
