And Another One for the Mazda!

In the middle of trying to cook dinner and feeding Ian this evening, the phone rang and it was Scot. I was a little stressed out and a little winded too. Scot remarked that he was sorry that he hadn't made it home yet. I rolled my eyes expecting to hear him say that he hadn't left work yet or that he thought of another errand to run or something. He continued on to say that a 17-year-old backed up into the Mazda when he was waiting in line to get gas.

Quickly my mind went to our poor Mazda. The Mazda that is really beginning to show her age. The little car with all her dents and scrapes. The little car that has the check engine light that keeps coming back on, even when we fix and address what we believe to be the problem. The little car that I am beginning to be embarrassed driving. First of all, Scot never bathes or waxes that poor car. Its dirty, lacks a good shine and her interior smells. Secondly, her appearance is well...is well...not much can be said about her appearance anymore. The over coat is leaving her trunk. She had fallen victim to a BB gun attack years ago and had suffered some tiny dents from that cruel teenage prank. Then on one windy day, a Burger King sign slammed into her door. And the countless other dents from other car doors and their careless masters. And she never was quite the same after a run in with a tow truck once. Her radio doesn't always work and her transmission likes to jump randomly out of the blue sometimes. Her driver side key hole is really a hole now as a piece has rendered itself missing now.

Yep, what crossed my mind was "And another one for the Mazda!" So then Scot explains how there was indeed a new dent and scratched paint but that the young man apologized and quickly exchanged information with Scot. The boy was nervous and shaking. Then what came out of my husband's mouth next appalled me! "You did what?! That's it?! Now the Mazda is going to look even more like a 'Po' dunk piece of trash' then she is already!" Yep, Scot let the boy pay $10 worth of Scot's tank of gas! Didn't quite seem fitting in my mind anyways.

"That's it!" I remarked. Scot then said something that struck me. Struck me hard. The kind of remark you wish they didn't say. The kind of remark that makes you realize something about yourself. Scot said he wanted to extend the teenager grace as someone did him many years ago. "OUCH!" I thought to myself.

And then I quickly thought of the CROSS. God extended grace to us. The only difference between Scot's grace and God's grace is that God didn't do it on the mere fact that someone had extended it to Him. In fact, His Son Jesus Christ received the opposite. God didn't expect anything in return. He is the ultimate example of GRACE. And although Scot's grace was a bit different, it made me think of God's GRACE and the CROSS. All one must do is accept His grace as the teenager did with Scot tonight.

And now when I look at those two new dents, I will be reminded of God's grace. AMEN!