Civility and Grace

Grace is not a concept used much today.  One dictionary definition is “courteous goodwill”.  The Bible uses the term “grace” in a much more powerful manner.  It describes God’s “unmerited favor” toward the world.  We need more unmerited favor toward each other.

Unmerited favor means showing respect to people who disagree with our point of view and, perhaps, even seeking to soften or change our thoughts in response to what we might have to learn.

Unmerited favor means overlooking insult and injustice we have suffered because we are less concerned with how we are treated than with how we treat others.

Unmerited favor means showing kindness and generosity toward those who have less than us and going out of our way to show courtesy to everyone despite the color of their skin or their station in life.

Unmerited favor means making the world a better place to the best of our ability by supporting dignity, justice, and equality for all in how we think and act every day.

We all have the power to choose to be people of grace.  Let us make that choice.