The greatest gift that we can give to each other and to mankind is the gift of grace. Jesus gave it to us why is it so hard for us to give it to others? Family, friends, church friends can say and do things that come across as insensitive, unkind, offensive, critical fill in the adjective, and it’s up to us how we react. God says in proverbs to repeat the offense separates close friends. 

I once heard a well-known international ministry leader share that her inner trustworthy circle was down to three. It really made an impression on me as someone who leads teams and interacts with a lot of people. I started  thinking of how much I didn’t want that to be me and saw very clearly that it really didn’t have anything to do with the people around as much as it had to do with what you decided to do with the “injustice”. 

I always bring it back to the greatest teacher of all and that is Jesus Christ and how he handled things. He came to Earth and led a team of 12. His assignment and ministry was the biggest one of all, which was to save all of mankind. If he was able to keep 11 around him how many more can we with our ministries and businesses that despite their significance are not bigger than offering righteousness and salvation to all of mankind. 

Jesus’s disciples needed a lot of grace and forgiveness. We have Peter who denied him three times, all 12 arguing about who would be the greater one and get to sit next to him in heaven; then there were times of sharing and asking Jesus if some type of thunderbolt could be sent from heaven to strike someone down instead of extending the grace that Jesus chose to give. Or their spiritual blindness or lack of faith even though they were daily witnessing signs and wonders. 

The most undermining spirit is that of offense because of the replaying of the insult and hurt in the heart and mind. It’s probably the biggest one that invades hearts of those who really do love you but messed up. 

Some of the best scripture is love overcomes a multitude of sin or best to overlook an offense or repeating of an offense separates close friends. 

Peter wept bitterly when he realized Christ’s predictions of his denial came true. He was equally exuberant when he got to see Christ again in his resurrected body on the seashore cooking fish for them all or when he raced to the tomb when Mary shared that Christ had been resurrected. Imagine his joy he must have felt after his denial of him three times. And let’s look at Christ that the man, Peter, the disciple who denied him three times was the same disciple who he said upon this rock I will build my church and reinstated him in a role of trust and honor. And he is the same disciple who was crucified upside down not feeling worthy to die the same way as his Savior did. 

A question to ask and ruminate upon would be what if the story ended with the denial? What if Peter was never given a second chance for the forgiveness and grace that Christ died for? It makes me wonder what is on the other side of our own forgiveness with ourselves, our own forgiveness towards others, and their forgiveness towards us? What magnitude of the future glory that lies awaiting on the other side of forgiveness. 

If Christ did it for us who are we not to do it for others? What joy and reconciliation awaits those who choose like Christ to forgive the denial and reinstate the destiny that offense attempted to derail.