Experienced Grace

It is October.  Well, that's the obvious part, but there is some significance.  The first three things that come to mind with i think of October are my birthday, leaves falling off of the trees, and fresh apples/cider.  While in a week's time i will be a year older (i'll leave you to figure that one out), the leaves are turning, and i'm enjoying fresh cider as I write, there are other less annual things to share.  I have now been working on staff at Grove City College for over a month and am chronologically experiencing a new community and lifestyle in a place that i am actually returning to.  This month in Grove City has provided my with many opportunities to reflect on how grace is a part of everyday life.

"I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember.  I do and I understand."  This is a quote that recognizes the power of experiential education.  It might be a little brash.  Often i can hear and remember long enough to see what I've heard in action, and then go do myself.  However, I believe that one does not fully understand something until they have experienced it for themselves.

I have mentioned in previous blogs about how God has shown me the importance of showing His Grace to myself and to others.  The professional workplace, where everyone has their tasks do, can easily become a place lacking in grace.  Sometimes, this looks like people finding something insignificant, but somewhat offsetting, to complain about.  So they complain to someone who can't do anything about it, who then complains to someone else who can't do anything about, who complains to someone else who can't do anything about it, and so forth creating a nice big circle of complaints about something that is insignificant and can't be changed.  It is a challenge to step into the middle of such a cycle, receive the complain, and instead pass on a word of encouragement to the next person in the communication chain.  At other times grace vanishes from one on one communication through not accepting people when they make mistakes.

There are many situations that require us to respond with grace.  From my experience, I have found the hardest of these to be when I make a mistake and someone else refuses to show me grace for it.  This requires me to show grace to myself AND to show grace to the person who refuses to show grace to me.  A double measure of grace is required in these situations.

I have discovered that growing as a leader and manager of people requires that I grow in my understanding (experience) of God's Grace.  IE- God uses the people around me in my sanctification.  I am thankful for the ways that God is encouraging me.  Please pray that I will grow better at communication and discernment with those around me as I learn to live a more grace-filled life.