Grace, when you think about it, is someone covering us when we need it the most. They are rare, those angels in our lives who see our dirty jeans…or lapse in sound judgment…or hear our bitter tongue…and refuse to judge or demand payment for what we should have, could have, would have done if we were perfect in all of our ways.

Grace is the gift that we all long for but are often too proud to ask for. It’s much easier to pretend we have no flaws. After all, we love God don’t we? We are leaders aren’t we? Well, then…we must act the part at all times. The problem with this fantasy is that even if we don’t acknowledge our nakedness, others

can see us for who we are, sometimes before we do ourselves. Pardon me, but our backside is often showing without our knowing it. We need someone to cover us.

Dropping the ball when people are depending on us, performing below what we promised we could deliver, being rude and unthoughtful, not living up to our own sermons...these are the opportunities to humble ourselves and ask for what we need: “Grace me, please. Cover me with mercy.”

“Mary, full of grace” (not me, the other one) is our example. Grace is the shiny package that everyone wants this season from us: our parents, children, friends, and leaders. We can choose not to react, not to retaliate, not to over explain, not to insist on justice (ours), not to demand what was promised. Instead we offer what we have to make up for what they don’t have at the moment. Hopefully they will offer us the same gift in return.

The result is the miracle of Christmas: Ahhhh. We can drop the shame, start over, and breathe again. We’ve been graced.