What if all editors gave unmeasured grace to every writer who submitted his or her work? That would be an unkind kindness. Readers everywhere would be deluged with atrocious articles or books, although there might be a spattering of good reading material. Unmeasured grace would do no good to increase the author's writing skills.
What if reviews gushed on with how great all published books are? Or, what if the reviews did the opposite - tore down every aspect of a book without adding something of valued to help the author learn the skills of the trade? Such reviews would be devoid of any grace.
What if critique group members listened with nods and a lot of "uh-huhs" as authors read from their pages? Or, what if they attacked the writer's piece with the frenzy of sharks at supper-time? Where's the grace? Where's the mercy? Where's the compassion?
What makes God's grace so different? Grace as defined by the Random House College Dictionary, Revised Edition, is: "The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God." Why is God's undeserved kindness so important that it is mentioned one-hundred-seventy times in the Bible? (Thirty-nine times in the Old Testament and one-hundred-thirty-one times in the New Testament, KJV)
One reason would be that God shows grace for our good, to build us up; not in pride, but in order that we would grow in our walk of faith, to persevere in our calling.
Although grace was manifested in the Old Testament, it was but a candle compared with the brightness of grace that appeared at the birth of Christ when God became flesh. Titus 2:11 says, "For the grace of God appeared bringing salvation to all men." That's not to say that all men are saved - only those who receive Jesus, who believe on His name.
So, what makes God's grace so different? It is that the value of one who receives grace is measured by the worth of the One who gives grace.
Rita Kroon
