There’s a old saying that goes: “April showers bring May flowers.”

Do you recall your Spring Season? The Spring showers didn’t seem as if they would produce a blooming of anything beautiful. Your attitude was detached and your behavior was dysfunctional. Whatever your mind could think, is what your mouth produced, without regard for anyone’s feeling. You were merely impossible to work with because your input was always pessimistic. You slowly began to detach from any and everything positive. You were ready to let go of it all- but someone extended a measure of grace to you.

Although you communicated that you no longer wanted to be apart of the group activities and even though you blamed everyone else for your circumstances, there was someone who pulled, tugged and nit-picked with you. When you stopped attending the company’s motivational outings for the team, there was that person or people would not allow you to isolate yourself because they knew that isolation is the foundation for the enemy’s playground of evil tactics to overtake and destroy you.

1. When you said no, I’m not participating, this person invited you anyway…
2. When you made excuses of who did not want to socialize with because the two of you didn’t see eye-to-eye, somehow you found yourself in the room anyway, because someone was praying for you…calling you, and getting on your nerves because you wanted to have a pity-party.
3. When you blamed obligations and life for your gradual departure away from anything positive, that person extended you a measure of grace.

We know better than anyone how stormy our Spring season was or still may be- so why is it that just as soon as the buds of the flowers appear – not even yet in full bloom, we revert back to our toxic thought patterns? When we receive a measurement of grace, we are to extend that to others.  Here is something interesting that the Word of God says of measurements:

Matthew 7:2 (NKJV)
For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Here is another translation of the same scripture:

Matthew 7:2 (NLT)
For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged

Whatever measurement of grace you give, you will receive.
Whatever measurement of love you give, you will receive.
Whatever measure of compassion you give, you will receive.
Whatever measure of negative attitude you give, you will receive.
Whatever measure of mercy you give, you will receive.
Whatever measure of gossip you dish out – oh it’s coming back, you will receive.

Perhaps the person you’re speaking about or complaining about, or straining about, is going through something as well. Instead of judging their distance, extend grace. Their outward appearance may seem to be that they have it all together or are uninterested, but inwardly, they could be dying, waiting for someone to just care.

Assumptions get us into so much trouble; if we remember that everyone is battling something, maybe we could approach conflicts differently –  with more compassion. Talk with the person instead of about them.

On today, challenge yourself to not make assumptions, but rather to extend a hand of grace. Your hand could be the hand that would lead the very person you condemned and judged out of their stormy Spring Season.

Give what you desire to receive (peace, love, compassion, mercy, grace)  and it will be returned to you.

Luke 6:38 (NKJV)
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”