Giving Grace to Others

I have been reading quite a bit lately. Most recently reading Max Lucado's book "Facing Your Giants". It's been an enlightening book. It includes a study guide to correlate with the readings. So, as I read, I will flip back and see some of the questions that Lucado brings up for discussion. One of those questions hit me "upside the head with a 2 X 4" - lovely expression, eh? Well, he may as well hit me with the block of wood, it stood out so much.

Question - "Think about the purveyors of pain in your life. It's one thing to give grace to friends (stood you up for a date, borrowed your favorite shirt and hasn't returned it, took "your" parking spot, etc), but to give grace to those who give you grief? Could you?"

WOW! What a loaded question...however, it was something I needed to look at. There are little things that I get frustrated with friends on (not returning a phone call, meeting up for quick get-together, etc) will let it pass. However, God was asking me - could I forgive Sam and Rocky for what they did? Could I forgive myself for the areas that I blame myself for the abuse? Could I forgive Grandma and other people in my family for allowing it to happen, and yet to allow it to continue?

Throughout the chapter, Lucado talks about David (the same David in David & Goliath) and how he and Saul have gone back and forth and the "opportunities" they had to kill one another for their "wrongdoings" towards each other. Saul is hunting David to kill him and David has this opportunity when Saul entered a dark cave to "relieve himself". David could have killed Saul and his army of 3000 men. It would have brought him down...just like that. However, David told his men to hold back and David himself, goes closer to Saul (in the dark) and cuts off a piece of King Saul's robe. David could have killed him, instead he takes only a piece of the robe instead. David was upset with himself and realized he just "harmed" someone that had been appointed by God himself. When Saul leaves the cave, David follows and tells him, "I could have killed you, yet I didn't." He let him go.

Another opportunity later on again tests David. David comes upon King Saul's camp while they are sleeping. One of his soldiers tells David that God put your enemy at your grasp once again. The soldier was willing to kill. David said no. Instead he took King Saul's speer and water jug and left the camp. Once he was far enough, he shouted out to King Saul that once again his life was spared because he was the anointed one from the Lord.

The Lord occupied David's thoughts on both of those occasions. Instead of acting in vengeance, he looked to the Lord for some solution. This brings me to my life...instead of being filled with hatred, that consumes everything about me, around me and anything else...I should look to something much bigger than I to bring goodness to the situation. It's hard, it's frustrating at times. Sometimes I feel like I am still filled with the hatred and that it turns on me in a split second - changing everything.

Lucado talks about that forgiveness is moving on. It doesn't embrace, endorse or embrace what the wrongdoer does - he discusses that they are still being worked on by God. That was a powerful thought. I think about the wrongdoings in my life; the sin I have committed and still do at times. However, God gives me grace each time. I look back at how far I have come in my life. There has to be that same grace given to Sam, Rocky, and my family. God is still working on them.