Show grace under fire

Author Chuck Swindoll said that when he was a young man, he couldn’t understand how two people who loved the Lord and believed the Bible could come to different conclusions: “In my two-by-four thinking I was convinced that all godly minds held identical conclusions…I soon discovered that there weren’t only various opinions, but God had the audacity to bless those who disagreed with me…He isn’t nearly so narrow minded as many of His people…God’s much easier to live with…tolerant…full of more grace and forgiveness than all of us.” In order to show grace under fire, you must understand and accept these two things: (1) People’s opinions and convictions will often differ from yours. Yes, you must never compromise Bible truth and core values, but it costs no more to be tactful and gracious than it does to be critical and caustic. And that’s especially true when confrontation and correction are called for. Paul wrote, “If another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” (Galatians 6:1 NLT). Pay careful attention to the words “gently” and “humbly.” (2) Everyone’s perspective has some merit. When you grow up in a home that functions on a right-versus-wrong justice scale, the person who is “right” gets praised while the person who is “wrong” gets put down. And that’s a pity because generally it’s not an “I’m-right-and-you’re-wrong” issue as much as it’s an “I-see-it-this-way-and-you-see-it-that-way” issue. So before you go to war, ask yourself what’s more important: your need to correct this person or to connect with them.