Daily Devotional for November 21, 2022
This Is Grace
Editor’s note: This story mentions abuse and may not be suitable for young children.
“Everyone, this is Grace,” the teacher told the class.
Grace stared at the rows of faces from the front of the room. The teacher had everyone say their names, but Grace didn’t bother listening. No one ever wanted to be her friend, and it probably wouldn’t be long before she was kicked out of this school too, just like the last one.
It wasn’t long before she got in trouble. She knew it was wrong to hurt people, but when kids made fun of her, anger would swell in her chest, and before she knew it, she’d be pulling someone’s hair or shoving them into a locker. Then she’d feel horrible, because that’s what her mom used to do to her before Grace had gone to live with Aunt Heather. I’m turning into my mom, she thought as she sat in the principal’s office.
When Aunt Heather picked her up, Grace stared out the car window. She thought about the field trip to the zoo she’d be missing because she’d been suspended for a few days. She’d never been to the zoo before.
Lost in her thoughts, it was a while before she realized Aunt Heather wasn’t taking her home. “Where are we going?” she asked as her aunt turned into a parking lot. Grace’s eyes widened when she saw the sign. “Why are we at the zoo?”
“Because I need you to understand something,” Aunt Heather said. “Remember what I told you about God’s grace? About Jesus loving us so much He died for our sins?” Grace nodded. “Well, when we trust in Jesus, we don’t get what we deserve for the wrongs we’ve done,” said Aunt Heather. “Instead, we get eternal life with Him, and He fills our lives with good things. That’s grace.” Aunt Heather sighed. “I know you’ve been through a lot, Grace. Jesus does too. He wants to give you grace and help you through the pain you feel because of wrong things done to you. I want to help you too. I made an appointment for you to talk to a counselor tomorrow. Will you do that?”
Grace hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.” She looked outside. “Wait—does this mean you’re taking me to the zoo? On the day I got suspended?”
“Yep!” Aunt Heather smiled and opened the car door. “This is grace.”
-Courtney Lasater
How about you?
Have you done things you’re not proud of? Everyone has. We’re all sinners. But God’s grace covers all our wrongs. Instead of giving us what we deserve, Jesus offers us forgiveness. When we trust in Him, He fills our lives with good things like peace, hope, and joy, and He sticks with us through life’s ups and downs. Trust in Him so you can experience His amazing grace. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)
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