Grace and Truth: Words that Sum Up Our Sessions

How would you sum up the role of a practitioner? I recently stumbled upon two words in a conversation with my professional supervisor that have really stuck with me: grace and truth.

Both of these are principles that I try to bring into every session, and I believe they are the linchpins of a safe and effective relationship with clients. I realise that these are also words used to describe Jesus again and again in the Bible, and who doesn’t want to reflect Jesus in their work?

So what do grace and truth look like in a mentoring relationship? How can we use the principles of grace and truth to aid in the transformation of our clients? What can we learn from Jesus? 

Grace

As I thought about grace, the first example I found was that of a sponsor in a 12-step program who is there to say, “I’m here for you. I know what that is like. Even if you let me down time and again, I’m still here to pick you up.”  A sponsor is there to walk with and support someone on the path to transformation. 

Grace is more than giving unmerited, undeserved favour, and certainly not merely tolerance or condoning of wrongdoing. It is not ‘letting a person off the hook this time’.  Grace still holds others accountable. Grace is unconditional love and understanding toward others when they make mistakes. It is a willingness to be on the journey with someone through their dark moments and messy situations as long as they are seeking transformation. Grace enables transformation. 

Truth 

We live in an age where the truth seems harder and harder to nail down. It is often manipulated or used to an advantage. It can be told out-of-context or with crucial information omitted. There are “truth-tellers” who simply state strong opinions or use their personal views to cancel people or shut down others who don’t agree with them. Access to global news and social media certainly doesn’t make discovering the truth any easier. Truth is often equated with judgement, yet Jesus’ truth does not condemn. Rather, it offers grace. 

Truth is difficult to come by in the world, so what does it look like in a mentoring session? We want our clients to be truthful; open, honest, and vulnerable with us. Yet for this to happen, our clients must feel safe, and part of that is being truthful ourselves. While Jesus always told the truth, He also enabled others to do likewise. 

When we aim to be like Jesus in our work, we need to create a safe place for clients and earn their trust. We must prove that we are not sitting in a place of judgement, but rather a place of grace and exploration, where we can share our truest selves, including when we have made mistakes. Telling the truth is the first step to understanding yourself and your situation. This is the path to transformation. 

Reflection:

When have I seen grace in my recent interactions with clients?

When have I created a space for truth in my recent interactions with clients?

What would help me to be more like Jesus and bring grace and truth to my sessions?

What’s next: 

Do I need to have a conversation with someone to help me process my reactions to those needing grace? Who will I be truthful to?