Oct 26 • Sunday Reflections
Sunday Reflections: October 26th 2025
This week, I asked for peace. What I got was an opportunity to practice grace.
There's a quote I keep coming back to:
"I asked God for strength, and God gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked for wisdom, and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for courage, and God gave me danger to overcome. I received nothing I wanted, but everything I needed."
These past couple of weeks reminded me: Virtuous concepts like bravery, confidence, grace, and patience aren't delivered to you on a silver platter. Life, God, the universe, whatever higher power you believe in, awards you the opportunity to practice them. If you choose to do so.
This week, I was faced with a co-parenting situation that required every ounce of grace I could muster.
The easy path? React. Take it personally. Let anger drive the decisions.
The harder path? Stay calm. Look at all the angles. Choose dialogue over defensiveness.
Practicing grace in the moment is difficult. I felt my body and my thoughts; tension, shallow breathing, the urge to respond immediately. But those signals alerted me to center myself again.
I remembered an older version of myself: reactive, taking things personally, making decisions without considering the impact on others. That's not who I want to be. Not for my kids. Not for myself.
What Grace Really Means
Grace shows up differently depending on where you're standing.
From a Christian perspective, grace is unmerited favor receiving love, forgiveness, and second chances you didn't earn. It's the foundation of compassion extended freely, not because it's deserved, but because it's needed.
From a Stoic perspective, grace is accepting what you cannot control while acting with virtue on what you can. It's the discipline to pause, assess, and respond with wisdom instead of emotion.
From a leadership perspective, grace is meeting people where they are, not where you think they should be and leading with patience, even when it's hard.
In real-world application? Grace is about choosing to understand over being right. It's recognizing that the person in front of you is struggling too, even if you can't see it. It's extending compassion to others, yes, but also to yourself. Forgiving yourself for being human. Releasing the need for perfection.
Grace doesn't mean you don't set boundaries. It means you set them with clarity and calm, not anger.
It's bending without breaking. Adapting without losing yourself.
When life gives you repeated opportunities to practice something, pay attention.
Grace isn't something you master once. It's something you practice every single day.
Pay attention to the opportunities life is giving you. They're not accidents. They're invitations to grow.
You might not get what you asked for. But you'll get everything you need.
What's one area where you need to practice grace this week?
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Sunday Reflections: October 26th 2025
