Grace worth talking about
Nancy Kennedy
Editor’s note: This is adapted from a 2013 Grace Notes column.Lately I’ve noticed people — not just Christians — talking about grace. We all agree we need more of it. As in, “Be gracious! Be kind! Give people some grace!”
But is that really grace?
Years ago, a company called philosophy sold a shampoo named “amazing grace.” Printed on the bottle was their “philosophy”:
“Life is a classroom. We are both student and teacher. Each day is a test. And each day we receive a passing or failing grade in one particular subject: grace.”
Then it went on to list things like compassion, gratitude, good manners, and reverence — “the list goes on.”
All that, and it could be yours for $32 for a 24-ounce bottle of shampoo. That is, if the price of amazing grace hasn’t gone up.
I once heard a pastor say that’s exactly how our culture thinks about grace — as a virtue you have to work at. The problem is, when grace becomes a chore, it stops being grace.
A man once told me how hard he worked to “stay in God’s grace.” I told him that grace you have to work for — or be tested on — isn’t grace. It’s exhausting. And futile.
The grace that’s truly amazing is the kind that “saved a wretch like me.”
John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace, was a former slave trader. It’s said that on one voyage across the Atlantic — March 21, 1748 — with a ship full of enslaved Africans and a violent storm raging, Newton felt the weight of his sin and cried out to God for mercy.
And God answered.
Because of grace, Newton’s life was forever changed. He left the slave trade, became a preacher, and went on to write one of the world’s most beloved hymns.
Grace is amazing, yes — but it’s also not easy to explain in a world that thinks “showing grace” means not punching someone in the face during a debate.
One of my favorite illustrations of grace comes from Justin Holcomb, who told this story in a radio interview years ago.
At age seven, Justin was baptized. A week later, he snuck into his neighbor’s house, accidentally flooded it, caused thousands of dollars in damage — and then lied about it.
His guilty conscience tormented him until weeks later, his dad found out and confronted him.
“He was furious, and I knew I was toast,” Justin said. “I told him, ‘I did it the week after I got baptized! Every night I ask God to forgive me, but I don’t even know if I’m still a Christian!’”
When his dad saw him shaking in fear, he did something incredible. He said, “You’ve asked God to forgive you — then you’re forgiven. I forgive you too. And I’ll pay for the damages.”
Then he said the most astonishing thing of all: “Now go outside and play.”
Justin said, “My dad’s gift of grace sent shockwaves through my life that absolutely changed me. I am gracious because I’ve received grace. I forgive others because I’ve been forgiven.”
That’s grace — the kind that saves wretches like us, pays the damages and sets us free.
But not only that, grace also hands us a towel, dries our tears, picks us up and gives us a hug and maybe sings the chorus to “Jesus Paid It All” — and then says, “Go on now. Go play.”
That’s a grace worth talking about.
Contact Nancy Kennedy at 352-564-2927 (leave a message) or email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.
