When Grace Offends People

I’ll never forget the day Jesus saved me. My life was messy, broken, and marked by sin. And yet, He loved me. He came for me. He washed me clean and called me His own. I didn’t deserve it. I couldn’t earn it. But His mercy reached deeper than my shame.

That’s the beauty of grace - it’s a gift. But here’s the hard truth: not everyone understands grace. Sometimes, when you carry a testimony that includes tattoos, scars, or a past that people can see, you’ll be judged. People might whisper. They might even question how God could use you.

But here’s what I’ve learned: grace will always offend pride.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day struggled with this too. They couldn’t stand the way He spent time with tax collectors, prostitutes, and “sinners.” They didn’t understand why He would extend love to the broken instead of giving applause to the self-righteous. But Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He came for people like me. And He came for people like you.

The truth is, every single one of us stands on level ground at the foot of the cross. My past may look different from yours, but we are all equally in need of the grace of Jesus. None of us can boast. None of us can say we’ve “earned” it. As Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”

So if you’ve ever been dismissed, looked down on, or told your story makes you “less than,” let me tell you the truth:

• God is not ashamed of you.

• God delights in you.

• God can turn your scars into someone else’s hope.

Your story doesn’t disqualify you - it’s the very thing He uses to glorify Himself.

• Have you ever felt judged for your past or for your story?

• How does it encourage you to know that God delights in using what others overlook?

• What part of your testimony might God be asking you to share more boldly?

Jesus, thank You for loving me right where I was. Thank You for not being ashamed to call me Yours. Help me to walk in the freedom of Your grace and not be held back by the opinions of others. Use my story, my scars, and my life to bring glory to You and hope to others. Amen.

Sis, grace is the great equalizer. It humbles the proud and lifts the broken. And at the end of the day, like Paul said: “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 15:10). And that is enough.