For those who are familiar with the teachings of the Bible, or the principles of Christianity, you must have come across the concepts of grace and mercy. Some people may even identify grace as the foundation of the second testament. But what is grace?

Grace could be defined as God's favor or kindness towards the unworthy and undeserving. Which is to say, in His Grace; God is willing to bless us or protect us, despite the fact that we may have not done anything to deserve it. Grace is like an extension of God's love. However, the thing about grace, is that it does seem unfair or unequal most times.

While some people enjoy an abundance of grace, others do not. Grace varies amongst individuals. It could be said that no two people share the same grace. For example, some people do not work as hard as others before they achieve success. Some people do not have to do anything special before obtaining favour. Whereas, there are others who have to toil endlessly before gaining a measure of success.

Consider the issue of sin and judgement. Some people seem to have numerous chances for repentance, before facing judgement and condemnation. It is common in a discussion amongst Christians, that there are complaints of unfairness. Some Christians bemoan the fact that certain people who do not live according to the commandments of God, seem to be more successful than they who do. Perhaps grace and by extension mercy, is the answer to the question: 'Why do bad people succeed, and good people live in penury?' Of course not all bad people succeed, and not all good people live in penury.

In our human understanding and thinking, we often feel there are things we can do to evoke grace upon our lives. We can get over zealous in our faith and religious practices, hoping that it pleases God enough to look upon us with mercy. Of course, it doesn't necessarily work this way. The unique thing about grace is that it is unmerited. Sure we may please God enough to enjoy His grace, but for the most part; it is out of our control.

I am not an expert across different religions, but I like to think that the concept of grace and mercy, are not exclusive to Christianity. I would like to read varying thoughts on this however. We exist to learn after all.