Skip to main content

Rules and Grace



            We all make mistakes, right?  However, most of our mistakes do not cost us $25 000.

            A while ago, I came across the story of a Newfoundland couple who was in the process of building their dream home.  Everything was going well.  They hired a contractor, found a lot that they liked in a nice neighbourhood, they had the basement dug and the cement walls were poured.  Everything was on plan and on schedule until the building inspector showed up.

            He informed the couple that their basement was 9 centimeters too close to the property line.  Now, when you are talking about a city lot, 9 centimeters is not much.  A playing card is approximately 9 centimeters long.  However, rules are rules and so the inspector told them that they would have to tear down the new basement wall and rebuild it 9 centimeters back on their property.  When they checked the cost of doing that they found out that it was going to add an extra $25 000 to their bill.   Looking for another alternative, they thought, “Maybe we can get the property line moved by buying 9 centimeters of land from the neighbour”, so they went and told him their story.  He listened and then – knowing that he had them over a barrel – agreed to sell them 9 centimeters of land, but he had a price in mind… $25 000.   Either way, because no one would work with them, their mistake was going to cost them a lot.

            Rules are rules, but sometimes being gracious makes a lot more sense.

             Contrast that story to the Biblical message.  God says “You have made mistakes and have crossed the line. You have sinned and the penalty it high”.  But instead of treating us our sins deserve and hitting us hard, God treats us with one of the nicest Biblical words ever:  Grace.  On the cross Jesus paid for our mistakes so that we would not have to. 

            The book of Ephesians says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
 
            This Easter weekend as you think about the cross, the resurrection, the empty grave, forgiven sins and the hope that we have because of all of this, maybe you too will be reminded that rules are necessary, but grace is better.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more