The Unexpected Adventure- Outrageous Grace

I guess outrageous grace is a less cliche way of saying “amazing grace”.

It’s something we’ve all experienced in our lives through Christ, but how real is it for you right now?  We all have experiences of grace that enliven this concept for us.

Lee Stroebel tells us a time when he received a call from some parents in his church.  They reported that their daughter had shoplifted a book from the church store and they wanted to bring her in for a life lesson.  Lee agreed.  The parents and daughter came into his office with the girl looking downcast.  They talked about it a little and the girl was clearly heartbroken and contrite over what she’d done.  Lee asked her what an apporpriate punishment would be and then suggested the cost of the book times three. The girl agreed, but Lee could see the panic on her 8 year old face- “how will I ever come up with that much money?”  Then he walked over to his desk, took out his personal checkbook, and made out a check for the entire sum and gave it to her. ”I know there’s now way you can pay the penalty that you deserve, so I’m going to apy it for you.  Do you know why I’d do that?  Because I love you.. . . And please remember this: that’s how Jesus feels about you too. Except even more.”

Think about a time when your parents showed you grace you didn’t deserve.  You showed up late for curfew.  They helped you pay for something you couldn’t afford.  Maybe a police officer has pulled you over and let you off with a warning.  You know that feeling.  The dread of knowing what you deserve, but then the freedom that comes when that debt is erased and forgiven.  And then we remember that God has done that in a far bigger way for us.

That’s why it’s important for us to bring these little lessons of grace into the lives of those around us too.  Let’s show grace to others and then help them connect the dots, let them truly start to experience the grace of Jesus through our hands.