Grace is defined as a disposition to kindness and compassion; benign good will, the elegance and beauty of movement or expression. Love is patient and kind, so love extends grace and overlooks imperfections. Grace looks beyond, grace exhibits compassion, grace extends tolerance and mercy. By way of love, grace fails to notice blemishes and shows leniency. With compassion love makes allowances, it tenders patience, and offers acceptance.
Can you think back and make a list of all the times someone showed you some tenderness, some compassion, and extended you some grace? Probably not, but you could certainly come up with quite a list if you took some time to reflect upon it. Sometimes we loose site of our own imperfections and continue to expect perfection in others. We also tend to forget all the grace, mercy, compassion, kindness, and patience that has been extended to us on numerous occasions.
Sometimes we are so busy trying to prove a point, to be right, to show our spouse their mistakes, that we beat them up with cruelty. We should not enable poor behavior, but honesty without compassion is impalement. Contrary to popular belief, P.M.S. does not stand for "punish my spouse". How many times have you heard the phrase, treat others as you with to be treated? In Matthew 22:39 Jesus says; "You must love your neighbor as yourself." Consider how different your relationships would be if you were to follow that. Now consider this, in Galatians 5:15 it says; But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other.
Often times people get so focused on a pain or hurt that they feel someone has caused them, that they have no allowance for grace, only room for bitterness. The problem there is a self absorbed thinking mannerism, love is not resentful, nor is it self centered. The bible says in Romans 3:10, There is no one who always does what is right, not even one. Think about the grace that God extends to each of us, every day of our lives. Because God shows us His grace, we should show grace to others. Forgiveness is a two way street, you can not receive what you are unwilling to give to others.
Mercy is a disposition to be kind and forgiving, the feeling that motivates compassion, compassionate treatment, the leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person. Surely we have all been guilty of some offensive behaviors during our lives. Yet, we all hope for the kindness and forgiving compassion that blesses us with another chance when we have blundered in some fashion. Everybody needs reformations opportunity to return to a rightful course. Besides who has not committed a boner, botched something, had a blooper, bungled up, miscued, messed up, made a boo-boo, slipped, fouled up, faulted, or played the fool during their lives?
This is not necessarily intended to be an article that gets you to look at your own personal constraints, but more a plead for everyone who reads this to be more loving towards others. We all have the ability to show more compassion, to give others a break, to cut them some slack, to be more merciful by extending some tender love. In giving there is receiving, so if you want grace, extend grace, if you want mercy, show mercy, if you want compassion, be compassionate. You never know when you might need the grace of someone else’s loving behaviors, so extend some saving grace when you have the opportunities to do so. Tender unto others what you would have them tender to you.
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Ecclesiastes 7:8
Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. 1 Peter 3:8
He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Psalm 145:8-9