Grace

We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ll all make some more. The line that separates the best of us from the worst of us is a narrow one.

Your brother, sister, coworker, spouse, child, and friend all would like me to remind you that they each need grace. Just like you need forgiveness, so do they. There comes a time in every relationship when it’s damaging to seek justice, when settling the score only stirs the fire. There comes a time when the best thing you can do is accept your brother and offer them the same grace you’ve been given.

Portions of this MMM have been chosen from The Great House of God.

Growth & Grace

 

If someone were to ask if you feel like you have grown over time, how would you answer? Are you different than you were six months ago or even a year ago?  Most of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer or even more generous. So why do we look at others and judge, or assume, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know what they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith knowing they too will learn and grow in time. 

How are you improving overtime? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?

Grace

 

We’ve all made mistakes and we’ll all make some more. The line that separates the best of us from the worst of us is a narrow one.

Your brother, sister, coworker, spouse, child, and friend all would like me to remind you that they each need grace. Just like you need forgiveness, so do they. There comes a time in every relationship when it’s damaging to seek justice, when settling the score only stirs the fire. There comes a time when the best thing you can do is accept your brother and offer them the same grace you’ve been given.

 

Portions of this MMM have been chosen from The Great House of God

Growth & Grace

 

If someone were to ask if you feel like you have grown over time, how would you answer? Are you different than you were six months ago or even a year ago?  Most of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes”! I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer or even more generous. So why do we look at others and judge, or assume, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know what they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith knowing they too will learn and grow in time.  

How are you improving overtime? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?

Special Edition

As if we did not have our hands already full with a pandemic, our society is now engulfed in a fragile state of racial division and violent protests.  This divisiveness is not new, but that does not make it acceptable.  The senseless killing of George Floyd is certainly not acceptable, but neither are the violence-oriented protests in response.

I am a 61-year-old white male with no idea what it feels like to be a man of color in this country.  However, I am pained by the stories of the fear felt by black men walking in their own neighborhoods and driving in their own communities. If this is not unsettling to you, it should be.  Simple answers and clarity do not come easily, but we cannot sit idly by.

A few responses seem clear to me…

• Pray
• Give grace and be slow to judge
• Speak out loudly against racism and all forms of hatred
• Make the effort, it takes effort, to listen and understand the perspective of others
• Be inclusive and blind to ethnicity
• Support elected officials, communities and organizations that are inclusive
• Be thoughtful and intentional with social media posts, and be careful about what you believe on those forums
• Educate yourself with facts from a variety of sources
• Spread love by your actions in our communities and neighborhoods
• Start conversations with your friends and families, with people of different races, and with people of different opinions
• Pray

The MMM is not a current events or political blog, but a person I respect made a statement that tugged at my heart, “silence is seen as indifference”.  I am not indifferent and the MMM is not about indifference. 

ABCs of Life

I was getting ready for work one day last week and found myself gazing at an “ABC” list of life advice in our bedroom.  It is a list of great life suggestions we received from some wonderful friends.  The “D” jumped out at me, since I had done that the weekend before. The “G” had also caught my eye, as I have clearly done that!  In glancing at the rest of the list, there are several that I need to be more conscious of doing. What about you? They don’t all apply to everyone, but most of them do. Life is short, here are 24 things to do while you can…

Avoid Collagen, Bloom Late, Celebrate, Dance At Weddings, Eat More Chocolate, Fall In Love Again, Go Grey, Hold Hands, Inspire, Jettison Grudges, Kiss Like You Mean It, Laugh, Mend Fences, Nurture Friendships, Open Doors, Perspire With Aplomb, Quit Whining, Rekindle Romance, Spoil Babies, Teach Someone To Read, Upset Convention, Volunteer, Wear Red, eXpect Joy, Yield Gracefully, Zing