What if?

I recently discovered a group called People of the Second Chance. They challenge people to live by a philosophy that’s really not all that hard to understand. They refer to themselves as “a scandalous movement of radical grace.” Okay, so what does that mean? It means they live by three core principles:

1. GIVE A SECOND CHANCE:
We extend grace in our relationships, workplaces, and in the world.

2. RECEIVE A SECOND CHANCE:
We refuse to be victims and are not defeated by our past. We courageously open ourselves to personal forgiveness.

3. BE A SECOND CHANCE
We sacrificially give our time and resources to the work of renewal, restoration, and social justice.

So, what would it look like if everyone decided to live this way? What if we all decided that we would respond to everyone in every situation with an attitude of selfless grace? What if, instead of trying to figure out what someone else’s motives – good or bad – might be, we just chose to respond with radical acceptance? I’m not even talking about giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. To give the benefit of the doubt implies that there is a judgment as to whether or not someone needs it. I’m saying to make our natural reaction one that extends grace and chooses to accept the other person…period.

We have a value at our church that we call “radical acceptance.” I’ve done a lot of thinking on that idea lately and something occurred to me. If I really want to live a radically accepting life, then that means I accept everyone. If I choose who I radically accept, then I really don’t radically accept anyone. If I choose to accept some people and not others, then it’s no longer radical nor accepting.

So, what if we all woke up tomorrow and in every interaction, every conversation, every encounter, made a conscious effort to extend scandalous grace and radical acceptance as our first response?

What if…?