Some friends and I often talk about our “grace bucket.” We’re usually talking about when it’s empty, as in “that person emptied the grace bucket.” It’s our way of indicating that while we were willing to extend consideration, from our perspective, the person who we were dealing with had “used up” all their chances. We had extended ourselves for the last time, and the person would be left to deal with the consequences without the benefit of the grace we had previously given them.
Recently, when I was feeling depleted, it occurred to me how grateful I was that God didn’t have a limit to His grace; that there wasn’t a point where I had “used up” His consideration. Greater still, when I was feeling like I had no more grace to give, I could go to Him for a refill. His grace is so continuous, so overwhelming, that going to Him isn’t like receiving a fill-up from a fountain, but it’s like being immersed in a waterfall. He doesn’t give just a little grace off and on, His grace is continuously and abundantly being poured over me. And when I need some more to show others, His grace can flow through me.
There will probably still be times when I feel like I’ve given people more chances than they deserve. And there will probably still be times that I’ll feel empty and deflated. But I’m so grateful to know where to go to be awashed in grace, and the Source that will fill me.