Some people can’t seem to catch a break.
They make a mistake, they are heavily chastised for that mistake. They work hard at keeping themselves out of trouble. In a moment of temptation, when under great pressure they slip up again. The grief they face for it makes the previous chastened experience appear tame in comparison.
This is why I am so glad that God is a Father of grace and mercy. He is perfect, we are not. His call to be like Him doesn’t have the same chastising experiences attached to it. That’s not to say He won’t discipline His children. It is to say His character is not designed to berate us and make us feel condemned.
We are works in progress. A community of grace bears patiently with each other because we know getting our act together takes time. Intentional effort, sure. Desire to change, certainly. This is a process though and nowhere is this more evident than among those who have been forgiven of a lot.
My greatest experience of this was not in a formal church organisational structure. Sadly I found many of those were more concerned with maintaining an unhelpful and unedifying model of relationships.
I found it among brothers with whom I had a relationship. We met informally, were allowed to share our honest perspective on life. Be gently challenged by others but still affirmed as brethren and as children of God. Such expressions of grace to me were overwhelming. It gave me the impression that the love of God was about building and rebuilding rather than dwelling on faults and failings. It assured me that we can look for the Christ in each other without demanding we be completely like Him and be distraught when we discover we’re not.
This experience told me that such expressions of grace can be experienced among brothers and sisters in Christ. It showed me that for our own wellbeing it makes sense to create the environment where this sharing can happen and relationships can deepen.
It hugely influenced my approach to people. It gave me more hope to see God work in their lives rather than immediately write them off because of a failing.
It’s an incredibly endearing feature about a person allowing that grace to appreciate the journey people are on.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 