Grace overlooks the flaws of others

One of the easiest things for some people to find is fault. There's a lot of criticism and fault-finding out there. In fact, criticism is the one thing many think is more blessed to give than to receive.

Working with people gets interesting and sometimes frustrating. People are going to be people, and we need to remember that people are not perfect. Some are dependable while others are not. Some have positive outlooks, while others never see a sunrise. Some are willing to go the second mile, while others specialize in judging.

I like the story of the little girl who came home from school proudly carrying a notebook full of school work. She climbed into her daddy's lap and happily turned page after page marked with A's in the right-hand corners. She was beaming.

Finally, she came to a page that was not as neat and there was no big “A” there. Her leaking pen had left two large blots in the middle of her work. Quickly she put down two fingers, one to cover one blot and one to cover the other. She looked up into her father's understanding eyes and pleaded, “Daddy, please don't see the blots.”

Not seeing the blots and holding down the criticism are two ways each of us can strengthen our relationships with others. Henry Ward Beecher said, “Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends.” If we wish to master the art of working with people, we need to overlook the blemishes of others.

That doesn't mean that we fail to hold people accountable for obvious wrongs. It does mean we need to learn to operate with grace. Think about it. Everybody can't be as good-looking, smart, educated, experienced and on top of it as we are. Right?

Often it's a matter of perspective. Retired Baptist executive James Griffith tells about the Missouri farmer, too old to farm, who passed the time sitting on the fence, watching travelers heading West during the 1800's, seeking new opportunities.

One day a wagon stopped and the rider shouted, “We're moving out West and looking for a place to settle. Tell me, how are the folks around here?”

“Well, how are the folks where you came from?” the wise farmer asked.

The settlers replied, “The folks in our town are the rudest, meanest, snobbiest people we've ever known.”

“Oh,” said the farmer, “they're about the same.”

A few days later another wagon came by and the driver asked the farmer the same question. “How are the people around here?”

Once again the farmer asked, “How are the folks where you came from?”

The settler said, “Why, they are the greatest people in the world. Warm, friendly, and generous. How are the folks around here?”

The old farmer replied, “Oh, about the same.”

People are about the same as we perceive them and about the same as we treat them. People are people, blots and all. We tend to forget about our blots when we are pointing out the blots of others.

A husband asked his wife, “Honey, do you mind if I point out a few of your faults?”

“Not at all,” she replied. “It was those faults that kept me from getting a better husband.”

The bottom line here is this. If you put your faith in people alone, you'll often be disappointed. But if you put your faith in Jesus, you will find consistency, because Jesus never fails. His consistency can be an encouragement to us as we encounter the faults of others. And we who are recipients of His grace, with God's help, can demonstrate grace in dealing with others.