Gracious - Post 1

Picture a gracious woman in your mind.  Maybe you think of a fairly proper British woman asking you to sit down for tea - someone like Julie Andrews in the Princess Diaries movies.  Or maybe you think of good ol' Southern hospitality - a woman asking you to "come and sit a spell".  What is that woman wearing?  In my minds eye, she is wearing something nice and extremely classy.  She feels completely at ease using fine china tea cups and never spills a drop of ANYTHING. 

If that is the definition of gracious, I have a LOOOOOONG way to go.  I am most comfortable wearing warm up pants, fleece sweatshirts and fuzzy socks.  The only tea I've tried is herbal and I thought it tasted like sticks and dirt.  I don't even own any fine china and chances are, if I "sit a spell", I would probably fall asleep.

I think many of us picture the term "gracious host" and think of June Cleaver.  June Cleaver I am not. 

So I did a bit of research about the word gracious.  The "world" (aka Webster's dictionary) defines gracious as: 1) Pleasantly kind or courteous  2) characterized by good taste, comfort or luxury

I'm guessing that Heavenly Father isn't too interested in comfort, luxury and good taste. I think His definition of gracious is the first one. 

As a matter of fact, His definition is KIND AND MERCIFUL.

Psalms 145:8 reads - The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger and of great mercy.

Kind, I can usually do.  Merciful - not so much.  I am pretty big into the thought that choices deserve consequences.  Good choices yield good consequences.  Bad choices yield bad consequences. Justice always rules in my world.  I jokingly blame it on being a Libra. :)

I'm a mean mom.  I admit it.  If my kids forget their homework, I don't take it to them at school.  If they miss the bus because they are dragging their feet, I will drive them to school BUT they owe me 10 minutes of chores (the amount of time it takes to drive them to school).  They don't get a freebie. 

However, as I studied about being gracious last night, I realized that a huge part is imparting grace - or forgiveness, or mercy, whatever term you want to use - to those around me. 

Heavenly Father gave us His Son, not to excuse us from consequences, but to make it possible that even after we try our hardest and still fall short of the goal, the difference is made up.  I had a teacher once who explained it this way - we are at the bottom of a big pit.  We have stacked up all the rocks we can find and climbed up as far as we could climb.  But still, we can't reach the top to get out of the pit.  We are three feet too short.  Then a rope ladder is lowered, allowing us to climb up.  Christ is that rope ladder.  We can't be saved by works alone, His grace is needed. I am so grateful for this principle.

Likewise, in my life, people will fall short of my expectations.  Experiences won't  be exactly what I want them to be.  Choices, both by others and by myself, that hurt me.  Sometimes the pain will be more than I think I can bear.  I will be disappointed and heartbroken.  But, if I become a woman that is gracious, I will be kind, merciful and impart grace to myself and those around me.  I will realize that grace and mercy are as much part of God's plan as is justice.  Now - just to figure out how to actually apply this principle!