Stylishly Graceful: Giving Grace (Even When It's Hard)

Hey friendssssss!! I missed you guys so much. I hate that I neglected you all for months. So much has happened. So much is going on. So much I want to say. So, let’s get into today’s topic: Grace. It’s the first blog back and we’re in the month of November. I think that’s fitting.

What is grace?

Grace is something that is unearned and undeserving. I like to think of it as “the benefit of the doubt.” When you give someone the benefit of the doubt you’re choosing to see the best in them or extend some type of understanding even when they don’t deserve it. That’s grace, to me.

Grace is God choosing to love, forgive, and bless us even though we haven’t earned it or proven we deserve it. I’ve always lived by the idea of treating others the way I want to be treated. I often think about how I would feel and react in certain situations, and what I would want others to do for me if the roles were reversed. Lately, I’ve been teaching myself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, how to give others grace. Grace isn’t hard for me to give when it’s easy (and I’m sure that’s true for most people), but it is hard when it involves people I don’t particularly care for. And that is what I’m working on: choosing love and grace when it’s hard.

It’s been a journey, especially when you’re someone who’s overly sensitive and tends to take things personally. Sometimes it’s hard for me to understand why certain people do what they do. I try to make it make sense, but I only end up more frustrated. Then the Holy Spirit will come in and clock my tea. He’ll make me recall a situation when I received grace in the same way, and I’m like “Yeah, yeah, yeah...alright. Bet.”

Grace isn’t only extended to others. It’s something we have to give to ourselves, too. I’m really hard on myself about a lot of things, but every now and then, I get a reminder to show me grace. To not beat myself up for not being perfect. I’m learning that giving myself grace means allowing myself to be human. It’s knowing that it’s okay to mess up, grow, and try again without shame. It’s understanding that I did my best with what I knew at the time – and that learning from my past is more important than dwelling on it.

Giving yourself grace is like taking a deep breath and saying, “It’s okay. I’m still learning.” I’m not supposed to know everything right now, and that’s fine. If God can give us grace, then why can’t we extend it to ourselves? We are imperfect people. We go through so much in this lifetime. Things that hurt us and things that teach us. Give yourself grace, and allow God to teach you and mold you as you go and grow through it all.

Stylishly yours,

Azha Moné