I told you last week about some of the amazing advice we received from books.  Well this week you get to read about it in action!Lesson #2:  Pre-planning Grace
Grace: Disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency; the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful.

When Den and I got engaged we registered for Fiesta Dinnerware.

I think these dishes are amazing…you can bake in them, freeze them, reheat them.  And they come in every color!  So when we first got married I considered these my babies.  I remember one day I dropped a plate on the floor and I cried and cried.  Now I was missing a plate!  The set wasn’t complete!  And it was a green plate… I only had 2 sets of green plates!

At some point since that day I have realized that breaking a dish is not that big of a deal.  This probably seems obvious to everyone else.

Well, the other day this lesson was tested.  We were both standing in the kitchen and Den was getting a piece of toast out of the oven.  I had my back to him when I hard the shattering of a plate.  I turned around to see one of our plates shattered to pieces all over the floor.  I realized in that moment I had two options:  1.  I could get really mad at Dennis for being so careless.  2.  I could show him grace by immediately telling him that it was ok and helping him start picking up the broken pieces.

Guess which option I choose?

I had grace on him.  And you know what?  The anger disappeared immediately.  I realized I could have easily been the one to drop the plate.  I think preparing my response in advance really helped too.  I had already settled in my mind that anything in my kitchen…if it gets dropped, or broken or misused that I am not going to get upset about it.  We have the ability to replace anything we own and showing my husband grace is worth much more than a $5 salad plate.

This lesson is so freeing, for me and for him.  I don’t have to worry about things getting broken and he doesn’t have to fear me getting upset.  I think this lesson can be applied in any area that you struggle showing grace to your spouse…like in driving (I may need to work on that one.  I am a total backseat driver at times), doing chores (does it matter how he folds the towels?  at least he is helping), spending money (he paid full price? instead I should be grateful he wanted to do something nice for me), and so many other areas…

Check out others in the series:

1. Pay Attention to Wise Advice
2. Pre-planning Grace
3. Great Expectations
4. Family Matters
5. Communication
6. Finding a New Normal
7. Date Night