GRACE

But he gives us more grace. James 4:6 (NIV)

Reggie’s mom was his life. She was 16 when he was born, and very soon she was the only parent he knew, teaching him to work hard and to be the best he could be. She told him there was right and wrong, but he could only do what was right. Reggie’s mom was his best friend. When he got a football scholarship for university, his mom was right there—working as a housekeeper in the school. And then she died. Reggie said he just wanted to walk off the edge of the world. He wanted to forget sports, and he was ready to drop out of school and life.

Reggie got a call from a mentor who’d heard the news. He called Reggie in and asked what was going on. The usually upbeat young man who wasn’t afraid of any challenge was quitting school and leaving the future he and his mom had planned together. Why? Reggie grasped for a reason that might satisfy the Big Man and quickly spit out a partial truth. “It’s money,” he said. “I don’t have the money.” “How much do you need?” his friend questioned. Reggie gave a figure that he thought was relatively large, and the man reached into his wallet and handed it over.

Reggie told us in church last week that he knew then that, in the midst of his grief, he had to keep going—no excuses. And he said, “That was grace. That’s what our God does for us. He gives us grace.” Just when we most need it. Reggie went on to become an officer in the military, a key executive in various large non-profits, CEO of large business operations, and a leading business consultant. All because someone extended God’s grace, that undeserved, unearned mercy.

To whom can you extend grace today?

Lord, use us as instruments of your grace just as so many times you’ve used others to touch us. We are grateful; help us to express that to the others who need to experience your redeeming grace. In Jesus’ name. AMEN.