Giving grace Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins . . . use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. —1 Peter 4:8, 10
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ou’ve probably faced scenarios like these: a demanding mother throwing a tantrum because you won’t stay with her through the night. An ungrateful father dissatisfied with what you and your brother give him. A sister accusing you of not caring enough for Mum. These are times when you’ve done everything you could. You’ve drawn clear boundaries, establishing what you will or will not do, and made clear how you are to be treated and respected. Yet someone insists on breaking the “rules” and behaving unreasonably. What can you do?
The answer: give grace.
Grace is what we received from God when He sent His Son to die for us. Grace is unmerited favour and kindness. It is not 66
being judged by our words or actions. Grace sees past faults and goes beyond the surface of who we are, to whom God intends us to be. Our salvation by grace, says Ephesians 2:8, “is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”. Many of us, however, tend to hoard grace. Having received grace, we keep it to ourselves. We find it hard to forgive others, like the unforgiving servant in the parable of Matthew 18:21–35. We find it easier to judge others by their failings, forgetting that God has overlooked our own. But we can be grace givers instead. We can pass on God’s gift as faithful stewards of His boundless grace (1 Peter 4:10). We can look beyond people’s faults, forgive, bless, and love. We can lay down our rights and serve in humble submission to God, just
