What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?
“Leave room for grace” is one of the personal philosophies I try to live by.
As the principal of a university college, I regularly find myself dealing with complicated situations. Young adults make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes come from immaturity or naivety. Sometimes from irresponsibility. Sometimes there is discrimination, selfishness or deliberate harm.
Those things matter. People get hurt. Trust can be damaged. Actions have consequences. Sometimes relationships are fractured. So I don’t think grace means simply overlooking what has happened.
For me, grace and judgement need to sit together. Grace means leaving open the possibility that a person can take responsibility, repair what can be repaired, learn from what has happened and begin again. That seems especially important in a university college.
Education is not only about what happens in classrooms. Some of the most important learning in life comes from getting something wrong and then having to work out what to do next.
I also think this matters well beyond university life. We live in cultures where achievement, reputation and responsibility can carry a lot of weight. When we fail, it can sometimes feel as though the failure has become who we are. One bad decision, one poor result or one embarrassing mistake can seem to overshadow everything else. I don’t think it should.
Justice asks, “What happened, and what responsibility follows?”
Grace asks, “What is still possible from here?”
We need both questions. If there is only grace, we can end up minimising harm. If there is only judgement, we can trap people forever in their worst moment. Of course, restoration is not always possible, and it is never automatic. Sometimes trust cannot be rebuilt. Sometimes safety has to come first. Genuine grace still requires truth, responsibility and change.
But I try not to close the future too quickly. People can change. Relationships can recover. New beginnings are possible.
A mistake may become part of someone’s story. It does not have to define who they are.
What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?
View all responses
Leave a comment