The Power of Gracious Living – June 24, 2001
If there were a heavenly city in which each street was named for a divine characteristic, one of the main thoroughfares would be named “graciousness.”
Realizing she was boarding the same crowded flight as a high-ranking official, a young woman respectfully tried to let the man board the plane ahead of her. The official, her senior by nearly 60 years, wouldn’t hear of it. Coaxing her back into line in front of him, he smiled and said, “As I understand it, we’ll all be leaving and arriving at the same time.”2
Our journey through life is similar. As we travel together toward a heavenly destination, those who meet our flight will want to know how we treated our fellow travelers during the trip.
Gracious people see others not only as they are, but also as they have the potential to become. They overlook the weaknesses and shortcomings of others, and concentrate on overcoming their own imperfections and mistakes.
One of the best measures of how deeply we love God is the way we treat others. The scriptures teach us that we cannot claim to love God, whom we have not seen, if we don’t love the people we see every day.1 We can be more loving and gracious by treating family members, acquaintances, and strangers with more kindness, patience, and respect.
Program #3749
1. See 1 John 4:20
2. Laura Z. Middleton, personal experience.