One day last week, The Greatest Kid On The Planet came home from school and told me about a safety drill they had practiced in his classroom. I struggled to keep my expression neutral as my eleven-year-old described the steps he was instructed to take in the event of a “lockdown”. Even then, he asked why I had a strange look on my face. I can’t tell him that every morning I drop him off at the curb in front of his school, and, after wishing him a good day, I drive away and say a prayer.

Recent tragic events have spawned numerous conversations and debates throughout every corner of our country questioning every belief and conviction from religion to politics and all else in between. For the most part, I’ve steered clear of the arena. However, I recently found myself in the midst of one of these conversations which caused me to question one of my own convictions, that being the belief that every person deserves grace.

When I say grace, I’m not referring to forgiveness. Most of us have been taught to forgive others for misdeeds, not because we condone whatever was done, but because we understand that letting go of past hurts helps us find peace.

And I am not referring to godly grace. I will not debate my, or anyone else’s, religious beliefs, as I believe those are choices every person must make for themselves.

Rather, when I speak of grace, I’m referring to the grace that we, as human beings, give to one another as fellow inhabitants on this tiny planet as we all go hurling through space together.