Failed Opportunity

Every moment is rife with opportunity to express God's grace. I have said it a thousand times. God has granted us the empowerment of God's Spirit in order to allow us the possibility of acting and speaking from God's will. Sometimes, however, imagining God's grace is difficult.

There are occasions that invite defensiveness, protectionism, even fear. These uncomfortable situations often force us into previously uncharted territory, taking us beyond zones of comfort and seemingly light years from the familiar. The hairs on the napes of our necks stand at attention. Muscles tighten. Stress heightens. Sweat begins to trickle. Heart rates increase and we begin to pull away.

I get it. I was forced into one of those uncomfortable situations yesterday. I will not bore you with the details, but I was made to feel incredibly uncomfortable and was, on the rarest of occasions, at a complete loss for words. I found myself taking a defensive posture. I blamed it on the person who invited me in to the discomfort. "Why would anyone do that to another person?" I asked myself. "What was to be gained by being so confronted?"

The better questions may well have been, "How can I act and speak graciously in this incident? How can I express God's will?"

But I did not. I simply remained silent.

I understand just how difficult it can be to express God's grace in uncomfortable situations. I get that it is nearly impossible to rest myself in the power of God's Spirit in real life occasions.

Is it beyond reasonable expectation, then, for us to represent God's grace in the real world? Would we not be better served by simply accepting our flawed selves, flawed actions and flawed speech?

I hardly think so. On the contrary, it is when we have been placed in a difficult situation and failed to act or speak with God's grace that we learn what better to do the time such a situation should arise. Reflection on real-life shortcomings better prepares us for subsequent real-life opportunity.

Bring on the heightened pulse, the tendency to want to turn and go, the fear and regret of failed opportunity. They teach us. They teach me. Perhaps, next time, I can better represent God's grace.