Grace

Over at Deeper Story this week, Tamara wrote about getting it wrong. Another post about the American uproar over Chick-fil-A. And I loved what she had to say, but I was shocked by some of the comments. It reminded me of some comments I got over at Google Plus about my post on Pride.

Glass Beach
(click image for photo credit)

When it comes down to it, when we’re talking about humility, the only people who get upset are the ones who have a sliver (or perhaps a log) of Pride in their eye. It’s the root of self-righteousness. And anyone who felt the need to defend their actions in the face of a call to humility is exhibiting all the signs of it.

And I don’t say this to point a finger at anyone other than myself. For I am angry at the people who still defend their decision to flaunt their “support for free speech” in the face of those who are hurt and broken. And I’m not even American.

But, as Tamara asked on her Facebook page, I will choose grace. For the people who got angry at Tamara’s post, for the people who covered their Facebook pages from top to bottom with their political and moral views about everything from chicken sandwiches to sinful lifestyles and “Christian nations”, but most of all for myself.

That’s where it starts. I can’t change the world, I can only change me. And I can only start with forgiveness and grace.

It is through grace we learn that we are no better or worse than anyone else, that Christ is crucified in the midst of our sin. Through grace, we begin to see things clearly and more as He might see them.

If we let it, grace will roll over us like mighty ocean waves, smoothing away our rough edges, removing the jagged pieces that snag on each other.

And so it is that the right answer to the call to humility is to embrace grace.