A Chance To Extend Grace

​I recently had some remodeling done in my bathroom. I quickly learned how expensive remodeling projects can cost (and the thought of living in a tiny house started to sound even more appealing).
 
On day 1 of the project, a worker arrived at my home. He was prompt, friendly, and hard-working. I felt bad for my neighbors, as I’m sure they weren’t too happy about hearing 8 hours of loud noises coming from my home. Towards the end of the day, the project manager stopped by. Everything was going according to plan, and the job was expected to be completed by lunchtime the next day. 

On day 2, the same worker arrived early in the morning. After a few hours he came downstairs, and I could sense something wasn’t right. He looked a little nervous and said, “We have a problem.” (4 words you never want to hear during a remodeling project.) He explained that he didn’t have the materials he needed to finish the job that day. The measurements the company took were accurate, but the materials that were ordered did not match the measurements. 
 
Before I go any further, you should know that my home has 1.5 bathrooms. The remodeling project was taking place in my master bathroom. So, at this point, I hadn’t showered in 2 days, and there was no indication of when the project would be finished.
 
As soon as the worker said, “We have a problem,” he proceeded to tell me more details. God nudged me and this thought came to my mind, “This is your chance to show him some grace. This is an inconvenience to you, but in the grand scheme of things, this is not a major problem.”
 
Once the worker was done talking, I said, “It’s ok. We all make mistakes. I appreciate your honesty.” He looked a little surprised, but he was very relieved. He said he was going to call the project manager and they would figure out what to do next.  
 
Thankfully, they came up with a creative solution. This solution involved an upgraded feature, which the company would pay for. The materials they needed were about an hour away, so they would be back the next day to finish the job.
 
On day 3, I welcomed the worker and project manager back to my home. This was supposed to be their day off (and they both had plans with their families), yet they chose to come in and finish the project. Their work ethic impressed me. The project manager sincerely apologized to me and accepted complete responsibility for the mistake that was made. I could tell that he felt bad about the situation. Once again, I felt compelled to offer him grace.
 
I thanked him for being honest with me and said that I make mistakes too. I shared that I appreciated him going above and beyond to make the situation right. He seemed surprised and said that most customers would not react the same way. He thanked me for being so understanding.
 
My bathroom remodeling project ended up taking only a day longer than initially expected, and the end result was better than what I had imagined.
 
Yes, I was inconvenienced for 3 days, but during that time God taught me valuable lessons about leadership and extending grace.
 
Great leaders accept full responsibility for their mistakes and take initiative to make things right.
 
Great leaders support and work alongside those that they lead. 

Experiencing God’s grace every day helps me to extend grace to others.
 
Grace is powerful and is motivated by love.
 
Who will you extend grace to this week?