Extending Grace to Non-Believers: How Sometimes it’s okay to be a Hypocrite
I hope, one day, I get called a hypocrite again.
I know what you’re thinking : UM….I’m pretty sure I’m not following the right blog. Christians are NOT supposed to be hypocrites.
Oh CONTRARE!! I have been called a hypocrite many times. MANY, MANY TIMES. At first, dude it sucked. Here I am doing exactly what God asked, and I’m getting called a liar, a hypocrite, a b***ch and worse! WHY?!?
Then I realized the people calling me these things, THEY have untrained eyes. How are they supposed to see grace, mercy, forgiveness, etc. if they don’t know The FATHER!? My Daddy God empowers me when it comes to people’s actions I hate dislike… to extend mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion and even love.
However, let’s think about how this may look to their eyes? Let’s say they did something worthy of disconnect or anger, but at the next encounter, I hug them and ask how they are? To me, I’ve forgiven by Daddy God’s divine power and moved on. I’m truly questioning how they are because I am praying for their souls. I’m keeping myself open and available by the grace of God for the hope that one day they will come to me, asking about my Heavenly Father. What do they think? “What is this fake chick doing TOUCHING ME!? Oh my God! (see said person is using the lords name in vain…*gasp*) What a joke!”
Being a hypocrite means that the people you are approaching don’t know God. And if they claim they do, they are babies and haven’t yet truly met His mercy and grace. By God’s power alone, I am able to love the people my flesh wants to hate. And, boy, sometimes that flesh wins, and I have some amazing, epic fights with myself in the mirror in which I tell them EVERYTHING I think about them…but luckily, I have God’s power to keep that from ever happening in real life. But I digress…
In Romans, and 1st Corinthians, and pretty much every book he writes essentially, Paul talks to us about how people think we are foolish. But WHY? Because they don’t understand our God! How could they if they have never met him?? BUT YOU CAN BE THEIR MEETING WITH GOD.
Informertial time: “Do you have people who hate your guts? Like to make your life miserable at every turn? Do they enjoy pushing your buttons, your boundaries, and spreading lies about you in order to cause drama? Why don’t you stop them in their tracks with the HOLY SPIRIT? The name calling might not stop, the attacks may still come, but if you dish out a healthy dose of the Spirit through grace, mercy, gentleness, kindness, self-control and more, you’ll soon be a pretty boring target…and maybe, just maybe, you’ll make them curious about where your joy comes from (*PST — the answer is the LORD). All of this can be yours by simply calling on the name of JESUS!!”
Forgiveness is so hard. Extending grace and mercy is even harder. But we never do it alone, momma. No matter what circumstance or person the enemy has thrown your way, lean into God, and He will sustain you to live outside of yourself and your feelings.
I hope to be called a hypocrite again, because that means I am doing things right in the eyes of the Lord. And even if I’m not the person that will lead them to Daddy God, I sure as Hades give them something to think about. What about you, momma? Are you proud to be known as a hypocrite because of the grace you can extend to non-believers?
