I experienced Grace recently. Like you, I experience grace daily. However, this instance was a bit unexpected.

My bride and I went to the pharmacy to pick up her prescription. We had met our insurance deductible for the year and the cost of the medication was unusually low. It was only $0.24. The bad news is that I didn’t have enough money to cover that tiny cost.

I had no cash in my wallet and no change in the cubbyhole where I normally toss spare coins. We were on the way home from dinner and my wife did not have her big purse with everything in it. I was not going to use a credit card for a charge that small.

I apologized, explained our situation, and began to drive away. The pharmacy technician then pulled a quarter out of her own purse and paid for it herself. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised.

Upon arriving home, I found a quarter and placed it with my things to take to the nice lady at the pharmacy.

It took over a month of stopping by to find her at work.

Now here’s the thing: I had a bad attitude about that woman before that day. She is a bit too sassy and sarcastic for my tastes. That day she heaped burning coals upon my head.

Last night I returned to the pharmacy, and she was working. I was able to pay her back against her protestations. We had a pleasant conversation. Later, I ran into her again on one of the aisles of the grocery store. Again, we engaged in pleasant small talk. She was on the way home after a long day on her feet.

Her name is Nancy. Nancy means grace. I will never think of her the same way again. She demonstrated grace in my moment of need. She treated me kindly when she could have treated me with contempt.

• When is the last time you received a measure of unexpected grace?
• When is the most recent time you extended grace to someone?
• Whose life can you grace today?

Thank you, Nancy, for gracing me and reminding me to do the same for others.