Why is it that we take it so hard when a brother or sister in the Lord offends us? We can handle the jerk at the office. We can tolerate the unredeemed in-law. We can even demonstrate patience toward the unruly driver in the next lane.

But all week long we stew over the untimely comments of the saint in row 5, seat 4. How could she? She’s a Christian!

It’s as if we expect Christians to be perfect. And yet when it is we who commits a slip of the tongue, we expect everyone to give us grace.

Here’s a tip for you—one that just may keep your faith from smoldering. No church is perfect. No Christian is perfect.

This is where grace enters. I think this may be the hardest lesson for new believers. They excitedly read their Bibles, they see God’s handiwork, and they experience growth. Then all of a sudden, they run into a fellow church member on a bad day and the bottom drops out.

Grace helps us realize that God is busy at work in everyone’s lives—including our own. Grace helps us forbear the faults of others. It helps us see past their faults and love the soul.

Pray and ask God to fill you with His grace today, so that you can be ready when someone offends you.