But grace is not just our attitude towards others, it is also our attitude towards ourselves. I have a hard time with this. I struggle with perfectionism and, therefore, am very hard on myself when I do not perform and achieve my own expectations. But grace is also being understanding towards ourselves. God is not a hash God, he is not a "lightning bolt God", if He went to the trouble to take that savage punishment on my behalf, then why am I punishing myself over something that He has forgiven me of? My counselor would say that it is a sin to treat myself in such a way, and I would agree with him (hence why he give me counsel).
Jesus did not die at the Cross so we could continue to strive to achieve perfection. Even Jesus Himself did not believe that equality with God was something that could be obtained so, why do we try so hard to achieve it? Personally, I think it is a pride issue. There is something deep within that says that we need to do more or be better so we can achieve perfection on our own strength.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8, ESV
But, as with every other piece of advice given by God, grace has immense benefits for the one being gracious as well. If we make a habit of extending grace towards ourselves and others, it will have a deep effect in the way we perceive life, in the way we live life and, ultimately, in how much we enjoy life. An attitude of grace is beneficial to the one on the receiving end, as well as the one that is being gracious. All of life should be lived in an attitude of grace, which is nothing more than expressed love toward the undeserving.
What would happen if you adopted this attitude of grace towards yourself, your spouse, your children, the members of your church, your co-workers, your boss, your employees, your business partners, your friends,....?
How much more enjoyable would life be if your heart would automatically react with love, compassion, and grace towards yourself and others, instead of harshness and judgmentalism?
In this article, we have spoken a lot about grace, but you might be thinking that it is a lot like mercy, in which case you would be correct. Stay tuned because, on my next post, I will be explaining my view on the difference between grace and mercy.
A note about this blog: If you read through some of my other articles, you will notice that a lot of what I write assumes a level of perfection. This is because I tend to think a lot in terms of idealistic concepts and express them in such way. However, perfection is not achievable and whatever habit or attitude I might be talking about, please be compassionate and understanding towards yourself if you decide to embark in a journey and embrace change towards those. Leave some room for error for yourself. No one, other than Jesus, can maintain any habit or attitude perfectly for an indefinite period of time, including you and me.
Jesus did not die at the Cross so we could continue to strive to achieve perfection. Even Jesus Himself did not believe that equality with God was something that could be obtained so, why do we try so hard to achieve it? Personally, I think it is a pride issue. There is something deep within that says that we need to do more or be better so we can achieve perfection on our own strength.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8, ESV
But, as with every other piece of advice given by God, grace has immense benefits for the one being gracious as well. If we make a habit of extending grace towards ourselves and others, it will have a deep effect in the way we perceive life, in the way we live life and, ultimately, in how much we enjoy life. An attitude of grace is beneficial to the one on the receiving end, as well as the one that is being gracious. All of life should be lived in an attitude of grace, which is nothing more than expressed love toward the undeserving.
What would happen if you adopted this attitude of grace towards yourself, your spouse, your children, the members of your church, your co-workers, your boss, your employees, your business partners, your friends,....?
How much more enjoyable would life be if your heart would automatically react with love, compassion, and grace towards yourself and others, instead of harshness and judgmentalism?
In this article, we have spoken a lot about grace, but you might be thinking that it is a lot like mercy, in which case you would be correct. Stay tuned because, on my next post, I will be explaining my view on the difference between grace and mercy.
A note about this blog: If you read through some of my other articles, you will notice that a lot of what I write assumes a level of perfection. This is because I tend to think a lot in terms of idealistic concepts and express them in such way. However, perfection is not achievable and whatever habit or attitude I might be talking about, please be compassionate and understanding towards yourself if you decide to embark in a journey and embrace change towards those. Leave some room for error for yourself. No one, other than Jesus, can maintain any habit or attitude perfectly for an indefinite period of time, including you and me.
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