Tonight, I leave for the Dominican Republic with a group from my church. We’re going to serve the people there by playing with children, visiting schools, talking to families, giving some things away, and sharing Christ however we can.
Last week, someone from my church stopped in my office, and we talked about a few things related to the trip. Before he left, he asked me if there was anything he could do while I was gone, specifically mowing my lawn. I’ll only be gone a week, so it wasn’t too necessary and I declined. It actually would help me out a lot, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept.
What kept me from accepting this thoughtful offer? My pride. The fact I didn’t think it was necessary, and I didn’t want to put him out unnecessarily. The awkwardness of having someone else serve me.
The more I thought about this scenario and my reflexive refusal, the more I thought how it mirrors our difficulty in fully accepting grace.
Grace is a tricky thing. It is simple and profound at the same time. And I believe we can accept and refuse it at the same time.
We accept it in a general sense, but we refuse it on a deeper, very personal level.
Have you ever had to accept charity? It is a very humbling experience. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being on the receiving end of charity. And charity is simply grace on a smaller scale.
What aids me in refusing charity? My pride. The idea that I don’t really need this. The awkwardness of being served.
What keeps me from fully embracing God’s grace to me? My pride. The idea that I’m a good person and don’t really need too much grace.
Strangely enough I might learn something about accepting grace on this missions trip. We have been told the people we will meet love giving to and serving the missionaries who come to serve them.
As I go to serve, may I be gracious enough to accept grace and allow others to serve me. Then I might learn a thing or two about grace.
Do you ever struggle with accepting grace?