If you have lived the Christian life long enough, you would have heard of grace and mercy defined in this manner:
Mercy – not getting what you deserve
Grace – getting what you do not deserve
The usual example of mercy would, therefore, be that of a criminal not getting sentenced to jail by the presiding judge after being convicted of robbery. And an example of grace would be a thief getting a love gift of $500 after being caught stealing.
Mercy and Grace to My 10-Year-Old
But let me share with you a story that illustrated the meaning of grace and mercy clearly to my 10-year-old.
My 10-year-old takes ballet from my ballet teacher. Yes, MY ballet teacher.
I had been taught by Ms Sylvia McCully since I was 13 or 14. Before that, I was taught by Mrs Lorraine Simon. Both these teachers use the Royal Academy of Ballet’s curriculum. And as part of the curriculum, students learn and perform a character dance which requires special character shoes. Now, these shoes are not cheap.
But despite its price, the soles of the shoes tend to unglue itself after a while. Yeah. So, I am often glueing the soles back after they have been used for a period of time.
One day after class, she showed me the sorry state of her shoes. The soles were seriously flapping. Since classes were on twice a week in the lead up to the ballet exams, I needed to glue it back quickly for it to dry up nicely before her next class. So I did it and left the shoes to dry.
Oops!
However, on the day of her class, she FORGOT to bring them along.
Now you have to know that my ballet teacher is an old school ballet teacher. That is, she has no qualms about scolding you harshly if you forgot ANYTHING. She also has no qualms about telling you to lose weight if she thinks you need to. There is no such thing as mollycoddling from her.
So, when I saw the glued-back character shoes still on the table near the entrance (daddy sent her for that class), I waited for her to come back and tell me of the big scolding she had gotten from Ms McCully.
But…
She not only did NOT get scolded. She got an almost brand-new pair of character shoes!
Experiencing Mercy and Grace
Yes.
Apparently, when she went up to apologise and tell Ms McCully that she forgotten her shoes, she was given an almost brand-new pair of shoes to replace the ones she forgot to bring to class.
Whaaaat???
My mouth gaped wide open.
Mercy
She did not receive what she deserved.
She was not reprimanded at all and even got called darling when she tried to return the shoes at the end of class.*
Grace
She got what she did not deserve.
She was given an almost brand new pair of shoes for forgetting to bring her own.*
What an example of grace and mercy!
Have YOU ever encountered anything like that?
I have. Back in 1994.
When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, confessed my sins and repented of them, accepting that Jesus died on the Cross for me (and all Mankind), I received the gift of mercy and grace from God.
Receiving Mercy
I received mercy from God that I did not deserve, escaping the wrath of God and eternal death, which is the penalty of sin. Romans 6:23.
Receiving Grace
Instead, I received the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and enjoy eternal life. Once I confessed and repented of my sins, He wiped my slate clean. They were never to be held against me.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
Mercy and Grace Freely Given
Because of His sacrificial act of love, all who received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are clothed in His righteousness and can now approach Him anytime, anywhere and call Him Abba Father. (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6, Hebrews 4:16)
Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrew 4:16
What a wonderful, wonderful gift!
Good Friday → Resurrection Sunday
As we commemorate Good Friday and celebrate Resurrection Sunday this weekend, let us remember all He has done for us with a humbled and grateful heart.
Thank You, Jesus!
PS:
But if you have not received Him as Lord and Saviour, but would like to know more, Contact Me and we can discuss this more.
* In case you thought that Ms McCully had mellowed with age, the answer is nope. The next day, another girl who also forgot her shoes got scolded for it in front of the class. And no, no shoes were given to her either.