*Grace-Ought to be payed forward*
Your Duty in Life
Photo By Matt Collamer
In Charles Portis’s novel (True Grit) he argues, “You must pay for everything in this world one way and another.” He then claims, “There is nothing free except the Grace of God. You cannot earn it and a lot of the times you don’t deserve it.” This shows that grace isn’t something you pay for or earn like money or a good grade. And that is the biggest reason that if you are given grace you must make right on it and not take it for granted.Appreciating the grace you are given and passing it on to someone else is almost your duty in some ways.
Getting consequences for your actions is something that we learn from a very young age. But the idea of grace completely goes against this value that our society grills into our heads. Bono from the band U2 gives the idea that “Grace defies reason and logic.” This really struck me because it really does defy the reason and logic that I’ve always tried to understand and abide by. We have moral rules set up to keep people in check and grace gives people who mess up a second chance.He then claims, “It interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions.” While it does interrupt the basic idea of consequences for your actions, it could mean that giving someone grace might stop them from even making those actions next time.And I think a lot of people who mess up in someway do deserve a second chance.The scare of getting a consequence is almost more impactful than actually getting the consequence.It can be the best way for someone to learn from there actions and make better choices the next time around.
Giving grace to those who are undeserving could be the best thing you can do for someone. It can really turn them into a better person and make them return the favor to someone else who needs it. In Mandy Hales’s book (The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass) she makes a great point saying, “Love people who hate you. Pray for people who have wronged you. It won’t just change their life…it’ll change yours.” The strongest people in life will be caring and loving to those who don’t return the same favor.
My own experience with this is seeing the relationship my dad has with his dad. He wasn’t there for him growing up and finally came around when he started becoming successful. I admire my dad for still loving him even though he wronged him in many ways. That is grace at its purest form. It changed my dad’s life for the better just like Mandy said in her quote.Instead of being mad and hateful, he was at peace with himself and what happened in the past.And I’m sure it made my dad’s dad realize his mistakes and hopefully makes him want to try to make up for what he did in the past.
In conclusion, you should feel responsible to pass grace on to the next person. Only if you are lucky enough to receive it in your life. I also realized that God isn’t the only one who can give grace, it can be between two people as well. Something that still puzzles me is people who are given grace but still make the wrong decisions later in life or don’t reciprocate the grace to others. You would think they learned from it and try to make an effort to do better.Or at least find some way to contribute kindness to the world.The most important thing I learned about grace is that giving it makes you and the people in your life feel more comfortable and happier. It starts with you and passing it on to other people is sometimes the most impactful thing you can do for someone who needs it.
