Remember Your Own Story
Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church
January 11th Sermon, Day 4
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be patient with yourself but impatient with others? You give yourself the benefit of the doubt, understanding your own struggles and circumstances, but somehow expect others to have it all figured out.
This double standard is one of the biggest obstacles to healthy conversations. One of the most powerful tools for difficult conversations is remembering your own story of grace. Think about all the times God has been patient with you. Remember the mistakes you've made, the blind spots you've had, the seasons when you were completely wrong about something important. Recall how gently God corrected you, how patiently he worked with you, how much grace he extended when you didn't deserve it.
When you truly remember your own story, something beautiful happens. It becomes really hard to be arrogant in your dealings with others. It becomes nearly impossible to talk down to someone when you remember how patient God has been with you. Your tone softens. Your heart opens. Your words become seasoned with the same grace you've received.
This doesn't mean you become a pushover or abandon your convictions. It means you speak from a place of humility rather than superiority. You engage from security rather than anxiety. You remember that you're talking to a person, not just a position - someone who, like you, is on a journey and still learning. The next time you feel your blood pressure rising in a conversation, take a moment to remember your own story. Let the grace you've received overflow into grace you extend to others.
Bible Verse
…And in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. - Ephesians 2:16
Reflection Question
What's one area where God has shown you tremendous patience, and how can remembering that change how you treat others who struggle in that same area?
Quote It should be really hard to be arrogant in our dealings with someone else when we remember the grace that we've received from God, every single one of us.
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your incredible patience with me. Help me to remember my own story of grace when I'm tempted to be harsh with others. Let the mercy You've shown me overflow into mercy I show to those around me. Amen.
