Last week I was telling my summer small group that it's easier for me to make up excuses for people when they act ridiculous than it is to accept that maybe they're just not kind/smart/considerate/(fill in the blank) at that particular moment.
I'll make up crazy things when people whip around me on the highway going 20+ miles over the speed limit like obviously there's an emergency they need to get to. I can convince myself of this even as they fly by the exit with a big H on it. OR when someone leaves their cart in the aisle in the middle of the grocery store. I'll think, maybe their child threw a tantrum and they just had to leave. I can come up with an excuse for most any behavior. And I think I do this because it just makes it easier to cope. Do you do this? It totally makes it easier for me to extend grace in the situation and not judge people.
And after I had explained this at our study, I left to go back to work. In that drive I felt incredibly convicted that I was cheapening God's grace. My thoughts make it easier for me to deal with a situation, but in many cases I'm probably lying lying to myself. God's Grace is infinitely greater than a grocery cart in the middle of an aisle. If I really think about what Jesus lived his life for, reducing his grace seems absurd. In truth, God's grace is vast and more than enough for me to forgive the actions of those around me without excuses and without judgement. In truth his grace for us cost him much. It wasn't easy and I don't expect that it will be easy to change habits, but I am determined to try.
What have you been suddenly and deeply convicted of?
