Real Grace

In my effort to be as transparent as possible, I feel like it's time to share this story because of what it taught me, even though I am still trrrrrrremendously embarrassed about what happened.  So here we go :)

About two weeks ago, I had a really neat opportunity to go to a conference in Lansing called, "Finding God's Will Conference."  It was cheap, close, and only one day long, it was a complete no brainer to go.  It featured two great speakers, Dr. Garry Frieson- author of "Decision Making and the Will of God," and came highly praised by my senior pastor because of how this book challenged his own faith many years ago.  The other speaker was Kevin DeYoung, author of "Just do Something," and perhaps one of the greatest living theologians, period. 

Brittany was going to come with me to Lansing and hang out with her friend and study.

The conference was at 8:30, and we had an hour and a half drive to get there, so it was an early Saturday morning.  I wanted to get there on time and didn't want to be late, because I was reallllly excited!  Like most people, I don't like to be late to things I'm really excited about, but in standard Mark and Brittany fashion, we were running late.  I won't say who wasn't shuffling around fast enough that morning, but I will say that it wasn't me... so I was beginning to become frustrated.

We were going to drive both cars to Pizza Hut, so that on the way back, I could just be dropped off there and this could save us at least a half an hour on the way home, because we have to leave the conference a little early so that I could be back in time to deliver pizzas. But, when I went outside to brush off the cars, I noticed that both of our cars were blocked in, a fact that shouldn't surprise me.  But it frustrated me.  It frustrated me because I was already in the early stages of frustration, and because I was trying to figure out the thought process of females parking cars (I live with 4 women, who drive 4 cars, who have a two stall garage that rarely has more than one car in it....), a quandary that has plagued philosophers and civil engineers alike for centuries. 

So I go back inside to get the keys to the car, that was parked by a person that wasn't the car's owner.  After I find the keys, I go to move the car behind another car that is blocking the empty stall in the garage.  Frustrating.  It's cold.  I have to brush off about eight cars in the process of solving this parking conundrum.  My wife still isn't even outside yet.  Growing more frustrated.  I get in the car to move it, turn it on, and have an polar, gale force blown in my face, instantly freezing my eyelids shut, preventing me from being able to see the controls in order to turn off this man-made blizzard and the radio that was kindly turned to the volume to it's appropriate level to instantaneously rupture your eardrums.  Growing more frustrated.

I finally defrost my eyelids enough to turn off the blizzard and "music," in to nurse my bleeding ears and frostbitten face and move this Japanese death puzzle (it was a Honda).  I proceed to move the car and cannot get the car back up the driveway.  Growing more and more frustrated.  My ignorance was finally relieved when I notice that the parking brake is on.  Ignorance is not bliss.  Who even uses their parking brake???  It isn't like we live in Machu Picchu or some sort of other mountain settlement were you are parking on a precipice.  We live in a subdivision that has a sign with its name on it at it's entrance.  It's quaint and lovely.  I park the car.  At this point, I am Frustrated.  Capital F, Frustrated. 

At this point, I finally see Brittany and grumpily assert, "Finally, lets get going," or something to that effect.  My tone and words were the opposite of endearing and encouraging.  I get into my car and pull out of my parking spot quickly because it's is a little difficult to get out of because of the snow and I was late and frustrated.  BAM!!!  I back straight into my Mother-in-Law's car.  I take a lot of pride in my driving and parking and being able to maneuver my car into and out of tight spaces and I can very loosely be called a professional driver (pizza delivery).  I am so frustrated and embarrassed, I don't even know how to act so I proceed to grunt loudly and kick piles of snow (not super proud of this, but that's what happened).

Brittany gets out of her car at this point and is frustrated (no doubt because frustration is contagious), and yelling at me for being so dumb and how we can't afford anymore bills.  I make some dumb comment about wanting to spend some money that wasn't on medical bills or school tuition.  She didn't appreciate this comment and I probably even tried to blame me backing into her moms car on her.  She starts crying.  (She claims that I started crying, but I didn't.  Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have because my tear ducts where still frozen shut from the Japanese death trap I have just freed myself from.)  She goes to tell her mom, cries more, and grows more and more frustrated with every passing second.  She is not at, or exceeding my frustration level.  we get into our cars and drive to pizza hut.  I didn't have to turn on my heater the whole way because I was fuming so much.

Here is where my lesson is learned:

We get to pizza hut and I get out of my car fully expecting to be received by a wife that is as cold as the arctic blast that I had experienced when I was stuck in that Japanese torture chamber, but was quite surprised at what happened next.  My wife got out of her car and greeted me with a big hug.  She told me not to worry, things would end up fine, and that she loves me.  Wowwwwww!  My mind equals blown!  I apologize and we end up having a great conversation and had a great hour and a half car ride in which we grew a lot closer together. 

I would be hard pressed to find a more REAL illustration of the grace of God.  This situation couldn't be a better real life view of the Gospel! 

Here I am, a slandering, rebellious, destructive, insulting, demeaning, blaming, and completely an annoying person towards my wife Brittany. Before I can do anything, she breaks down the wall I created between us and reaches out in forgiveness before I can even apologize.  After I apologize we talk about it and our relationship grows and we grow closer and trust each other more.  The damage to the car still had to paid for, and will be in order to make this situation completely right.  This is almost exactly the pattern of the way we are towards God.

WE are a slandering, rebellious, destructive, insulting, demeaning, blaming, and completely annoying people towards God.  But He chooses to reach out in forgiveness to us.  Because God is just and holy, and our sin has consequences, our sin needs to be dealt with in order to be reconciled with God and fully receive this forgiveness.  So in order to break down this wall between us, God sends Jesus as a propitiation (a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person (God) and being reconciled to them) for us.  Now when we believe in Jesus Christ and actively repent in his name, we are reconciled with God and feel His loving embrace.  After this, Sanctification(the process in which believer are pattern and grow in the likeness of Christ) happens and our life long relationship with God grows. 

God is good.  I thank Him so much for these clear examples of His love and forgiveness in my life.  Although I am still embarrassed about the situation, it is something I will never forget.  My prayer is that each and everyone of you will experience the grace of God in incredibly practical ways and that you can respond to them, pass along the grace, share your stories and grow closer to God and those around in you in the process.

 Romans 3:21-26.