here's to fresh grace every day

Something that has been repeating in my mind for a couple months now is the fact that all we needed this year was a little grace. no one gave themselves or others grace this year and that's literally all we needed.

of course we have to start this blog with some definitions of the word grace...

dictionary definition

noun: ease and suppleness of movement or bearing, courteous goodwill.

verb: do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence, to confer dignity or honor on.

biblical meaning

the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it.

As the semester has finally ended, I've been able to do a little reflection. I've realized that I did myself and others SUCH a disservice this year by not granting grace. (sorry if this gets a little sappy lol) Reflecting over this year low-key makes me very sad because I believe so many negative encounters that I experienced could have been prohibited with a little grace. From relationships I beat myself up over that I feel like I could have maintained better, situations that I made up in my head because I wasn't granting others grace, to opportunities that I may have missed, class work... literally everything. However, I'm not going to reflect on the past, but reflect on the lesson learned and my actions moving forward.

In the dictionary, grace is defined as courteous goodwill. Meaning, it's not asked for nor deserved, but is freely given. God grants us all grace, but I did not fully use and accept it this year. 2020 brought the toughest challenges and lessons I have faced and seen the ones closest to me face. Instead of stopping and maybe realizing the lesson or literally just stopping to breathe and move freely, I continued like life was normal and continued to beat myself up for not going 110%. Like I promise more than half of this year is a blur (this is also probably due to the months of quarantine lol). We all expected 110% from each other, may I add in the middle of a pandemic, but no one factored in any type of grace. From being mad that someone didn't text you back, to school (that's a whole different blogpost in itself lol), to not going 100% for the things you love, to beating yourself up about not maintaining relationships like you usually do...there was no grace.

We should give ourselves grace because God gives us grace, which is kindness and forgiveness that we receive not necessarily because of anything we have done. So this is just a reminder and sort of like a challenge to grant yourself and others grace everyday. We all know the common saying that you never know what someone is going through, so always show kindness. But, moving forward I believe we should all genuinely embody this. We don't deserve grace, but God gives it to us anyway. So who are we to not be kind and show grace when God is kind to us everyday, undeservedly. From everyday interactions, to school, work, and organizations...grant yourself and others grace! Of course I'm not saying to use it as a crutch or an excuse, but literally just step back every now and then and think about how you're granting grace. Think about what you can handle and ask others before placing any type of burden on their shoulders.

Here's to fresh grace every day. Grant yourself grace and remember that your mistakes serve purpose and not shame. Grant others grace and be kind, let go, and show forgiveness.