Power PlaySample

When it comes to world leaders, influencers, and even athletes, we tend to put them on a pedestal. People can be so in awe of the power and influence they hold that they tend to elevate them in their minds. If we aren’t careful, we can start to agree with everything they say and do just because we’ve placed them on that pedestal.

But once you put someone in such a high place in your mind without also recognizing that they’re just a person . . . there’s really no place to go but down. At some point, that leader or influencer is going to say something the wrong way, do something that’s completely against your morals, or not live up to the image of them that you had in your mind. In our all-or-nothing world, if people aren’t perfect, they must be unworthy of respect or decency.

But everyone makes mistakes. Why do we put these unrealistic expectations on others? And if we have these expectations of people in authority, what about those who are under our authority? Do they have those expectations of us?

If we want others to extend grace to us when we make mistakes, we have to be willing to extend it to others as well. This doesn’t mean you have to “forgive and forget” if you’ve been mistreated. Instead, think about the person more than the mistake.

How can you extend grace to an authority figure who has acted less than perfect?