John Eldredge, in his book Ransomed Heart, says life is a story. He’s right. We know our own story, and maybe those of a few people close to us, but we don’t always know what makes another person tick. We know what they do, but not why they do it.

That’s where grace comes in. Giving grace to each other is the highest form of generosity.  It humanizes both them and us, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and forgiving ourselves for our own slips from perfection.

When we give grace without understanding the why of the action, we show God we trust Him. We trust He knows what He’s doing in their lives and ours. All of us have different gifts and talents, so we may not understand what makes each person behave the way they do. Each individual has the core personality God created for them. This one is more gentle, that one more fiery. God created each specifically for the work He planned for them. We need to respect it, and not try to change them.  That doesn’t mean we don’t temper the downside of our own gifts–it means we don’t put our gifts onto someone else.

We may never know the intricacies of another’s story, and we don’t need to. We only need to know they’re a work in progress, just as we are. We give them grace to grow into their calling, and accept God’s grace to grow into ours.