Extending Grace Without Conditions

Not measuring who deserves it, just giving it freely, just the way God gives it to us.

" But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." Luke 6: 35-36

Grace is easy to give when it feels deserved.

Someone apologizes

They acknowledge they were wrong

They attempt to make things right.

What about those that turn the blame on you, never apologize and attempt to make you look like the bad guy to everyone else.

Grace becomes something deeper when there is no explanation, no effort to fix what was broken.

Real grace is not based on conditions but rather given freely.

It is not measured by who has done the most things for you.

Real grace does not keep score of who wronged you and apologized.

If we are honest with ourselves, that's the kind of grace we have been given even when we don't deserve it.

God does not wait for us to have it all together before he says... " Ok, now you can have grace."

He does not hold back until we can prove that we deserve it, he meets us right where we are, imperfect, flawed and still growing.

So why is it so hard for us to give grace to those who hurt us. Why do we hold on to grace as we wait for them to earn it. We all have the same thoughts, " They don't deserve it", " They hurt me." We replay what they did to us, we hold on to that hurt, and we wait for them to change.

Again, Grace was never meant to be conditional

Extending grace without conditions does not mean what they did was okay. It doesn't mean ignore the hurt or pretend nothing happened.

It means choosing to release the weight of it, freeing yourself from the moment of hurt.

You decide that when someone decides to hurt you it won't control your heart. Let go of the need for things to be "fair."

Grace was never about fairness, it was always about love

That same love that was given to you... that is given to you over and over again.

So today, if there is someone you have been holding back grace from, take a moment.

Remember this is not for them.....but for you.

Ask God to soften your heart.

Ask to help you release whatever you are holding onto.

Ask him to remind you of the grace you have been given,

And then.... choose to extend it

Prayer

God, Help me to extend grace without conditions. When it's hard, remind me of the grace You have given me. Soften my heart where it has become guarded or hurt. Teach me to release what I hold onto and trust You with it.

Let my life reflect Your love, even when it's not easy. In your name I pray, Amen.