Our instinctive reaction is to pull back from grace. We want to believe that, on balance, something in our lives merits the good that comes our way. We deserve whatever gifts we receive.
If we find it difficult to accept grace for ourselves, how much more unwilling are we to have it handed to others! When someone gets off the hook too easily, aren't you uncomfortable? When someone does something bad — steal money from a grandmother, say, or abuse an invalid, or commit a crime — don't you want that person to receive what's rightfully coming? Don't you have a primal, visceral instinct that wants others to get their just deserts?
— Donald McCullough, If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It?