We all make mistakes—the kind that is so clearly a mistake—and are confronted with our imperfections, our missteps, our humanity and the impossibility of perfection.

The reality that I am immensely human with great capacity to hurt human hearts, even when I have the absolute best intentions, sucks.

I believe how we respond after we’ve been confronted with our imperfection, defines so much of our life. We can respond by:

1) Hardening our hearts. It’s easy to write off the person or people we hurt as crazy or irrational or too sensitive. We can explain away why they are reacting how they are reacting, making us feel much better about our imperfections, and not let it affect us.

2) Owning it. Feel the weight of the mistake, deal with the consequences, sincerely apologize, mend it to the best of our abilities, and move on.

I want to chase grace and bring people with me, because I believe it is the most freeing space to be. Sitting in the grace for myself first is where it must start, but doing so is often difficult. In order to sit in grace, you must be able to acknowledge your need for it; this usually happens when we decide to be gut-wrenchingly honest.

Download your copy of Chasing Grace in an ungracious world. It is a quick and simple guide, helping you unpack your shame through seven simple step: