There are many more definitions of "grace" in the dictionary, but these are the two that most pertain to this particular topic of interest. Grace is a wonderful thing to receive and a difficult thing to give.
There's a phrase that my mother uses sometimes to describe people: EGR - Extra Grace Required. We all have people that fit this description in our lives. The person dating someone we used to be with. The elderly woman at church who never seems to have anything interesting to say. The teacher who always has something critical to say. The friend who takes us for granted. All of these people drain our positive energy and leave us short tempered. It's hard not to wonder why we even bother dealing with them. Unfortunately we can't always see the effect we have on someone's life. You never know if you are the only person (or one of the few) who actually shows kindness to one of those difficult people.
As Christians we have a duty to show grace to those who are difficult to love. Indeed it may be difficult, but if we can't do it, who can? We have the ultimate example of grace and love. 1 John 3:16-18 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him , how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Our compulsion to grace and love goes beyond filling physical needs. We also are called to fill the emotional needs of those around us, showing them kindness despite the difficulty.
Christ showed us the ultimate kindness when he died on the cross for our sins. Although we may not like to admit it, in God's eyes we are all cases of "extra grace required". We're not just a little bit sinful. Everyone at some point has strayed so far off the right path that extreme measures were required to set things right. Only the extremely horrific death that Jesus suffered on the cross and the final battle he fought with death could fulfill our need for grace. We cannot repay Him for this gift, but we can pay it forward. We can bring others to know the boundless grace of our Savior by giving them a taste of the feast we enjoy.
