“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us…” Ephesians 1:7-8a (NASB)
I shrieked at him, pounding his desk with my tightly clenched fist. I was trying to make a point. I felt entitled to my sense of outrage, and wanted him to know. It was quite an exclamation mark.
Did I mention he was my boss? I screamed at my boss. AND pounded his desk.
What was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn’t.
When five o’clock rolled around, I rushed out the door, eager to be in the peace and quiet of my home.
A few minutes after pulling onto the highway, my tire started to scream. And then:
THA-THUMP THA-THUMP THA-THUMP.
It had gone flat.
On a busy highway.
With no shoulder.
Many people would say I got what was coming to me; that God was teaching me a lesson for my childish behavior.
I definitely learned something: He gives grace.
A mile or so down the road, I pulled onto a side street. That’s where I met my good Samaritan. His name was BJ. I called him Grace. Only in my mind, though. I didn’t want him to think I was a crazed psycho lady.
He happily and (almost) joyously changed my tire. Sweat poured down his face, and as he worked, he told me the story of his mom’s car trouble a few weeks back. A kind soul had stopped to help her. BJ was just doing the same.
To him, it was no big deal. But I saw God’s extravagant grace poured out over me. A wonderful gift given when I least deserved it.
Ephesian 1:7 says that through the blood of Jesus, we have been freed from our sins and forgiven of our failures. All this because of His overflowing kindness toward us. Christ is God’s gift of grace to us. We admit our need for Him, accept His forgiveness and turn away from our sins. This opens the floodgates for Him to pour His lavish grace on us.
I’m amazed by His kindness and grace, aren’t you? When I should be condemned for my anger, God gives grace. When my actions deserve punishment in the worst way, He gives grace. When I hurt a loved one with my words, He gives grace. Pretty much when I’ve been a low-down-dirty-rotten dog, He pours grace upon grace over me. And He will do the same for you.
So what do we do with all this amazing grace generously showered on us? Pour it out! Let it overflow onto others. When we’ve been cut off in traffic, give grace. When the person in the express checkout has thirty items (and they’re in front of us), give grace.
It won’t always be easy. It won’t always be our first choice. It’s a battle. Lord knows I need work in this area. But when Christ’s blood poured out for me, His grace flooded over me.
[tweetthis]And where grace floods, goodwill overflows.[/tweetthis]
Until next week,
Joining these lovely writers. Be sure to visit their pages, you’ll be encouraged!
Suzie Eller, Live Free Thursday
Kelly at Purposeful Faith
Holly at Testimony Tuesday
Crystal at Intentionally Pursuing the Heart of God
Winter at Words with Winter
Jennifer at Tell His Story
Ellen,
What a relief to have someone help you when you’re stranded by the side of the road! I love the picture of the man repaying kindness to his mother by being kind to you. I think we all have much to learn about giving grace and even when we take a tiny step to offer it to someone else, it’s progress!
Amen Valerie! Even tiny steps of grace are progress! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hi Ellen! I want to know what happened with your boss!
I would have just freaked out and lost my composure with the flat tire. What an emotional roller coaster that day was… And here comes Grace to change your tire! God truly is a wonderful, loving Father.
I know I should pass along that great grace (and joy!) to others, and I hope I do it with as much love as the Lord shows to me. May God continue to protect you and yours!
From #RaRa Linkup!
Ceil
Ahhh, amen Ceil, He is a lovingFather indeed! I apologized to my boss the next day, and I have attempted to remain calm at work even when frustrations take over! By His supernatural grace, I have been able to do so!
What a lovely story, Ellen. God does give us grace when we least deserve it, doesn’t He? And yes, I want to extend it to others too. It’s sometimes so hard! I’m with Ceil above, I wanted to know what happened with your boss! 🙂 We all have those days, don’t we?
Betsy, I had to swallow my pride and go into work the next day and apologize to my boss. I told him I was wrong and that he deserved better from me!
Lovely, Ellen! I love transparent stories of grace and mercy like yours! Coming to you from #EspressosofFaith via #MeCoffeeJesus!
Hi Bonnie, thanks so much for dropping by! Oh, my story was pretty transparent alright! But truth shines brightest, amen?
Hi Ellen! I’m a day late joining the party over at Jennifer Lee’s #TellHisStory, but I noticed right away that we both wrote on grace this week, so I just had to stop in and say hi!
I too, messed up this past week in the relationship department…totally blew it where the fruit of the Spirit was concerned. But God’s grace.
You have a lovely site and *gorgeous* photography. 🙂
Blessings to you as you spread that grace around.
Hi Caryn – hey, better late than never! And you know what else they say…great minds think alike! I use my hubby’s pix most of the time, although he is teaching me a few things about photography! I love capturing nature pictures, but I’m not so great on people pix 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping in!
I’ve had a moment like that before! (Or two.) I love how God so gently displays His grace through the love and kindness of others. What a beautiful story and a perfect image of God’s love and patience. Thank you for sharing Ellen!
Kristine, I just can’t imagine YOU having moments like this?!?! Then again, I have a friend that tells me the same thing…thanks so much for visiting!