So this week at church we started a new series called "The Outward Focused Life." It's all about serving others in a me-first world. Every day our pastor, Dave Workman, is going to send an outward focused thought of the day. So, what I am going to do is read the thought, then share my feelings about it with all of you.
This week's focus is on grace. So first, let's focus on the definition of grace. As a noun. Here is the entry from http://dictionary.reference.com on grace:
grace: noun -
| 1. | elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action. |
| 2. | a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment. |
| 4. | a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior: It was only through the dean's grace that I wasn't expelled from school. |
| 5. | mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace. |
| 6. | favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity. |
| 7. | Theology. | a. | the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. |
| b. | the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. |
| c. | a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces. |
| d. | Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect. |
|
| 8. | moral strength: the grace to perform a duty. |
| 9. | a short prayer before or after a meal, in which a blessing is asked and thanks are given. |
I only included those that have to do with our outward focused thought of the day. There were many more, but for simplicity, these will work.
So in layman's terms, grace can be defined by more than just simple kindness. It's goodwill. It's more than just simply saying something kind to someone... it's a state of life. Too many people today think of themselves first and/or only without any thought to the people they deal with everyday. For example, here is a portion of Dave's TODT:
Some time back I was in a fast-food restaurant that was freezing. I said to a woman at the cash register, "Hey, it's pretty cold in here." She smiled and said, "Yeah, that's how we like it back here. It gets warm in the kitchen." I said, "Yeah, but your customers are eating with their coats on." She looked at me like I was from another planet and said, "I know. But this is how we like it back here." I knew this wasn't going anywhere. I ate my cheeseburger with my coat on.
This is a situation that's mirrored all over the world every day. What scares me is that this is something that happened at a place where the employees are PAID to serve you. If you can't even get served when you SHOULD get served, how as a world can we come to a point where we voluntarily serve others without any kind of monetary compensation? What kind of world are our children going to inherit from us?
As a parent, the hardest job I face is teaching my children to think of others. There is so much focus placed on self in society that it's a battle of my will vs. today's standards. When I was young and working fast food (or any other job where I served customers) I tried to remember that without the customer, I wouldn't have a job. Perhaps that was a little too simplistic for the purposes of grace, but at least it changed my demeanor toward the customer. I am trying to make myself a better person and therefore make my children better people than I was. Part of that is learning from my experiences and mistakes and trying to teach my children based on those. Obviously, most people also need to learn, touch, feel, and experience for themselves, but we can try to lead by example.
So today I have a challenge for you. Today, I want you to be graceful. When your spouse comes home from a long, hard day at work and they start venting and complaining, instead of shutting them out, listen to what they have to say and try to help. When you see that person searching for change to buy a drink, reach into your pocket and offer the change you have. If they want an explanation of why, simply smile and say "Because I thought you needed it." And if you're so inclined, you can add, "And because God loves you." You'll be surprised at the reactions you'll receive.
