The Gift of Grace

Last week I pulled over into a parking lot for just a moment to return a phone call. As I dialed the number an angry young man leaned out of his car window and yelled some not so nice four-letter words at me for blocking his way. Instead of getting angry back I smiled to myself because one of the things I have been working on over the past few years is to have more patience and learn to control my temper better. They say that money is the root of all evil, but I know for a fact that anger is one of the worst emotions and that when it leads to hate, it can become absolutely evil.

 

Obviously the world we live in can be harsh at times and the people around us can make it even harsher. But that’s because were human beings, all of us faulty and flawed. So maybe that’s what we need to remember, none of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, so we all need to be patient with each other. I know what you’re thinking…that’s easier said than done, but consider the alternative. When has anger or hatred ever helped to improve your life? That reminds me of a story I read….

 

During World War I a German soldier, with bullets raging all around him, plunged into a foxhole. There he found a wounded American soldier soaked with blood and obviously only minutes from death. Touched by the plight of the man, the German soldier offered him water and through this small kindness a bond developed. The dying man pointed to his shirt pocket and the German soldier pulled out a photograph of a woman and two small children. He held the photo out so that the wounded man could gaze at his loved ones one last time. With bullets flying over their heads and war raging all around them, these two enemies were, but for a few moments, no longer enemies.

 

What happened in that foxhole? Did all anger and hatred cease? No. What happened was simply this. Two enemies saw each other as human beings in need of help. This is the start of forgiveness, which begins by rising above the anger and the hatred, and choosing to see each other not as a foe, and not even necessarily as a friend, but simply as fellow soldiers longing to make it home safely.

 

I haven’t yet discovered the secret to fully controlling one’s temper at all times. But I have figured out one thing that is really helping…I can’t ever give more grace to someone else than God has already given me!

 

If a small thing has the power to make you angry,

does that not indicate something about your size?

~Sydney J. Harris