“Let grace always be my first response.” I saw this quote hung up on a wall in the background of a testimony I watched last week, and it’s stuck with me ever since. How powerful are those words? 

Grace. Undeserving favor. The very thing that God so generously lavishes on us because of His deep love for all of His creation. Grace is what He gave us by sending His son to defeat all evil, to cover our sin, to forgive us. He allows us to walk in that grace daily by guiding us with love, patience, and endless forgiveness. It doesn’t make sense to the human mind, and that’s exactly the way He planned for it to be. 

If I keep my mind and heart focused on His graciousness, it gives me the desire, and power to then be gracious to those around me – because I want every person I speak with to feel even a glimpse of who He is. When I struggle with how to do this, I always remind myself of something my mom shared with me. She reminded me of the scripture Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, as if seasoned with salt, so that you will have the right response for everyone.” She explained it like this: Before we eat our food, we intentionally sprinkle it with salt. Likewise, before we speak, we must intentionally make sure they are gracious. A light bulb immediately went on in my head and that has stayed with me ever since. 

I want for my life, my home, and my family to be a mirror of the grace that God gives to all who will receive it. The way that I speak to my children, the way that I interact with strangers, the way that I handle uncomfortable situations – to all point to His throne of grace. 

Yet not I, but the grace of God within me. 1 Corinthians 15:10