GRACE

Ah……grace.  I could write and write for days and still not cover grace.  Grace is rightly described by most of us as amazing for sure.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “grace” as “unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a special favor.”  I say that grace is God giving us something good when we deserve just the opposite.  There is nothing to be done to earn grace.  It is a gift for sure.

I once heard a preacher explain grace with this acronym:

God’s

Riches

At

Christ’s

Expense

I read a story the other day in a book by Charles Swindoll about Job.  Now that Job was a strong guy, wasn’t he?  He certainly endured more than any one I have ever heard.  I can’t imagine what Job went through and his example should give us encouragement in our lives when the going gets rough.  The story was about a professor who told his class that the final exam would cover all they had studied.  The young man relaying the story told how he studied and studied until he could study no more, still knowing he did not know it all.  On the day of the test, the students filed in to find the test papers lying face down on each desk.   When time came to begin, the professor told them to turn over their papers.  Each student turned over his paper to find the answers all written in correctly and an “A” written at the top of the test paper.  Incredulous, they all looked at the professor.  The professor then told them the creator of the test had taken it for them and they had just experienced “grace”.  

I read this book when I walk on my treadmill.  I am striving to lose twenty more pounds for my health’s sake.  It’s a challenge and I thought if I had a book to read it would help the time to pass quicker.  Plus I figured if I chose a religious book, it might aid in my effort.  I need all the help I can get. On the morning of the day I read that story, I was to meet a friend of mine from elementary school for lunch.  We reconnected in the past few weeks and planned a lunch together.  It was a wonderful time, just catching up.  After we had ordered our Chick-Fil-A meal, we began to talk about what we remembered about elementary school.  Now let me insert here that my memory is really nothing to brag about these days.  I told The Friend something that another friend had told me just last week.  The Other Friend was to have a meal with her best friend from elementary school who would pass through her city on occasion.  The Other Friend told me that she enjoyed the time with her friend so much because her friend remembered so many good stories from their elementary school days.  The Other Friend was like me—had a faulty memory about some things—but said that she enjoyed the stories so much as they were new to her.   Funny, huh? 

Anyways, back to my story.  As we were sitting there after ordering, we were remembering our 8^th grade year when the girls were in one class and the boys in another.  The girls had the principal’s wife as a teacher.  Everyone called her Miss Alice.  She seemed fairly up in years even then as she was also my mother’s teacher, if I remember correctly.  We have already established, though, that I don’t always remember correctly.  So The Friend was saying that she struggled with fractions and percentages so much that she was expecting to make her very first “C” in Math that year.  Well, I was finding that hard to believe as I knew she was always REALLY smart…I did remember that for sure.  She was telling me that the day came when we got report cards.  She peeked at hers and saw an “A” in Math.  She was in disbelief and was certain Miss Alice had made a mistake.  The Friend says she went up to the desk and said, “Excuse me, Miss Alice.  I think you made a mistake on my report card.”  Miss Alice questioned her as to why she thought such.   (I don’t think Miss Alice ever made mistakes…after all, she WAS the principal’s wife.) The Friend told her that she was pretty sure she had a “C” in math.  The Friend said Miss Alice just smiled and said, “For the past couple of weeks, you have worked hard and really improved in your math.  I thought you deserved an “A”.” 

So here we are sitting at Chick-Fil-A and I hear that story.  Immediately I said to The Friend, “That’s a wonderful example of grace!”  Well I said it excitedly as I had just read the story earlier that day about grace and now here was the Lord sending me another example!  I told The Friend the story.  It was one of those God-moments for sure.  I just love it when that happens.  I am certain God was trying to remind me of His wonderful grace.   It just gives me chills when the Lord is that open and easy to understand.  Or maybe He’s always that open and easy to understand.  Maybe I’m the one who is closed and difficult.  Maybe?  I would think that is the case.

I will close with the lyrics to “Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone”.  Unending Love. Amazing Grace.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

My chains are gone, I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love, amazing grace

  

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I've been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love, amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God who called me here below

Will be forever mine, will be forever mine

You are forever mine.

And I say, “Amen.”