The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40

“What if the person you’ve been trying to avoid is your best shot at grace today? …And what if that’s the point?”
—Nadia Bolz-Weber

We’ve all had an encounter that has pushed us outside our comfort zone. Perhaps it’s the person on the street corner holding a sign asking for money. Maybe it’s the grocery store cashier who will offer unwanted conversation that will last way too long. Maybe it’s a classmate or co-worker who has obviously been crying, but you are running late. Maybe the barista got your order completely wrong after an already horrible morning.

At first glance, these are encounters with people who NEED grace. But what if we flipped that around and saw these encounters as opportunities to RECEIVE grace? 

God did not appear as a decorated king, but of the son of a carpenter, born in a manger. And God extended His grace to us not in the promise of riches beyond our wildest dreams, but in the promise of freedom from our sin, through Christ suffering on the cross. For you. For me. For the person on the corner, and the cashier, classmates, co-workers, yes, even the misguided barista. 

Each of us was created in God’s image. Perhaps that extends even to the point that we are made to give (and receive) his grace to (or for) others. Even in unlikely places, from unlikely people.

Rachel Epps

About the Contributor

Rachel Epps is the Director of Youth and Young Adults at Second Presbyterian Church.