Thursday's Reflection

The thing about grace is, you have to continually - willingly - take the short end of the stick. You have to give up your rights to whatever it was you thought you deserved -

• the right to be angry
• the right to hold a grudge
• the right to make demands on other people
• the right to having your side of the story validated
• the right to expect others to behave as you want them to behave

The fleshly part of me says,

• But I was right; you were wrong.
• You should have (or shouldn't have)...
• What about me? What about my feelings?
  
• Validate meeeeeeeeeeeee

In general, it's easy to point out everyone else's faults, where they failed, continue to fail,etc., rather than realise I have faults and fail as well, and to recognise the times when others extend grace to me (which is probably more often than not). I wish I could easily jump into a Christ-like attitude and extend grace wherever I go like a spiritual version of Mary Poppins. But the truth is, I battle with this tremendously. And here are some of the most haunting words in all of Scripture:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" - Philippians 2:5-8

My flesh screams, but it's so unfair! And it is. But it is the way of Jesus. And I committed my life to follow this way.