We often define grace as an undeserved gift from God, or favor, for the purpose of empowering us to shine Christ’s light to others.

“This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." – 1 John 4:10-11

When we're serving others, we often think about and focus on giving others grace.

And maybe in our day-to-day jobs, giving grace can come naturally, or it may take a little bit more effort. No matter which category you may fall under, I believe we can all agree: grace is an important aspect of serving others. 

So much so, we often become so focused on serving others and providing them with grace that we regularly forget to give ourselves that same grace in return. This can happen in many ways: not excelling in the area we wanted to, making mistakes, not showing up completely where we want to – the list goes on. 

Why is it so easy to give others grace but not ourselves?

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." – Genesis 1:27

By not giving ourselves the same gift of grace, it's a clear reflection of how we see ourselves, which then reflects how we see our Father.  While we spend time caring for others, we must also practice loving ourselves too. 

Many people would view that as self-care. Self-care can look like a variety of things: spending time alone, going to the spa, going golfing, reading – whatever makes you happy. However, the one true way to really care for yourself and fill up your cup is by spending time in the Word. 

"... but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." – Isaiah 40:31

We won't be able to give ourselves grace until we spend time reading and meditating about the many ways the Lord provides grace throughout the Bible. Allow yourself to spend time in the Word today, and be intentional about giving yourself grace. Jesus died so we would be able to have that very gift.

Written by Carli Field, Buckner Family Hope Center® family coach in Midland, Texas.