A stranger steals your laptop. You don't think you're ever going to see it again, then you catch her using it at the local coffee shop. There are plenty of ways you could respond, let's entertain two of them:
If you responded with
mercy the conversation might go like this:
You: "Hey, so I'm pretty sure that's my laptop."
Stranger: "Oh. This is awkward. I thought I could totally get away with this."
You: "Hm. Well now that we're here, I'm going to ask you to give it back. You really deserve some sort of punishment, but I'm feeling particularly merciful today, so...I'm going to just ask you to give it back."
Stranger: "Whoa, really? I thought you were going to call the cops."
You: "Nope, I just want my macbook back."
Stranger: "Ok."
then she gives you back the laptop.
Now what would happen if you responded with
grace?
You: "Hey, so I'm pretty sure that's my laptop."
Stranger: "Oh. This is awkward. I thought I could totally get away with this."
You think to yourself:
Well this IS awkward, but I think I'll respond with grace.
You: "How about this: even though I don't know you, and you are a stranger and now my enemy, I'm going to extend grace to you. I am not going to punish you. Also, I am going to let you keep the laptop. And you know what? I'm also going to give you my iPhone, my iPad, my iPod, and my iCar."
Stranger: "....oh my....Wow, I totally don't deserve that!! I don't know what to say! ...What's an iCar?"
You: "I know you don't deserve it, but I'm going to do it anyway. Oh, an iCar? Well they don't exist yet, but I have a good feeling Apple's going to come out with them someday, and if they do, I'll buy you one."
Ok if you guessed that this is a (slighty cheesy) analogy for God's mercy and grace, then you've guessed correctly. We used this analogy to explain the concept of grace to young people in the Middle East. For me, it was a strong image of what God has done for us. In Ephesians 1:7-10, Paul writes:
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
So not only has God forgiven us of all of our sin, past, present, and future, but he also continues to lavish his blessings and grace upon us. This is the promise he extends to each one of us. Cool, right?
I think so.
Grace and peace,
Shayla
