Extending Grace

Why is it so easy to extend grace to ourselves and so difficult to extend it to others, specifically those we love most? I {Vickibeth} can goof up again and again and every time I think, “Well, my honey should forgive me and extend grace to me because I didn’t want to do or say that thing (Romans 9), it just sorta happened.” But if he so much as leaves a sock on the floor, “HOW HARD IS IT TO PICK UP A SOCK?! I mean seriously, the hamper was like 6 feet away” And I’m upset and it’s obvious. Why does this happen?
I think for me, the answer is fairly simple and made up of predominately two problems: 1. My pride 2. My lack of understanding of how much grace Jesus Christ extends to me daily. Both have an incorrect and selfish view of me. Now this incorrect view is actually quite understandable in today’s sin-filled culture where we are teaching the current generation that 1. The word revolves around them 2. They deserve everything they want. It’s so easy to let this sinful worldview affect our relationships and reactions, even as believers.
Maybe we need to take a few minutes and just mediate on the grace God has shown us and how undeserving of His grace we are. 

1. Our sin, that condemns us to separation forever from God, is justified only by God’s grace and His death on the cross. Romans 3:24, “…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” His grace has changed everything. We get so caught up in ourselves, that we forget how insufficient and lost we are without God’s saving grace. We would spend an eternity in hell, separated from the Holy God, were it not for His grace..
2. Grace should be a vital part of our life. Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” We need grace, each and every day.
3. Great examples of faith throughout the Bible were full of grace. Acts 6:8, “Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.” Does anyone else to desire a heart for God like we see of Stephen in the New Testament? I mean, wow, that guy was dedicated to His Savior!
4. I am no better or different in the eyes of God than those that I think don’t deserve grace. It makes me sick to stop and think about how highly I view myself (I deserve grace) and how little I value others (they don’t deserve grace) that God loves and died for as well. 

The next time we are tempted to selfishly demand grace for ourselves, or not extend grace to someone else, let’s take a moment to pause, and reflect on how truly undeserving we—and all humans—are of grace, but what a beautiful gift from God it truly is! I’ve been praying lately that God would convict me of my selfish pride and show me ways to humbly extend grace, with His help, to others, especially those closest to me who I so easily take advantage of because they are family.
Like me, do you struggle to extend grace while expecting limitless amounts of grace be extended to you? How can we make a conscious effort to change this sinful behavior?  What are your thoughts?

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