thank God for grace
Everyone who knows Jesus Christ as Savior knows what grace is, but it’s rare
that we experience grace on earth from other human beings. Recently I was
reminded of an instance where I was the recipient of grace from another
person.
When I was in college at Tennessee Temple University, I worked part-time
as a jeweler at Kennedy Jewelry in Chattanooga, TN. The family who owns the
store is Christian; but the patriarch of the family, B.D. Kennedy, is very
much a business man during business hours.
Being a jeweler meant that I was responsible for sizing rings, repairing
necklaces, changing watch batteries, setting stones, among other things. Did
I mention setting stones? I’m not talking gravel here; I mean diamonds,
emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, diamonds, rubies, diamonds, pearls, and
DIAMONDS! I was a jeweler 7 to 8 years through high school and college and
was considered a pretty good jeweler. Sure, I had broken my share of gems
over the years, but nothing too costly, until...
One fateful day, I was given the task of setting a pretty large diamond.
In the process of intricately placing it and making sure it was secure, I
chipped it. An important part of being a good jeweler is to know how to
cover up your mistakes. It wasn’t a big chip. With my “cover-up” reflex in
tact, I was easily able to strategically place a prong over where the chip
was. I polished the ring up and sent it on to the customer who took it home.
A few days later I was so guilt ridden over what I’d done that I went to
Mr. Kennedy’s office and told he and his son, Shane, what I’d done expecting
the worst. I was a poor college student on a music scholarship just getting
by. I did not have the money to replace the diamond and it would take me
longer than I would be there to work it off working a few hours a day after
school. Nevertheless, I offered to pay him back somehow. He thanked me for
my honesty and told me that wouldn’t be necessary. A few days later Shane
came back to where I was working and (to my surprise) handed me another
diamond and the ring I had seen a few days earlier. I told him there was no
way…I didn’t want to touch it! He insisted and said he trusted me.
How many times does God do the same thing for us? We mess up. Yet He
forgives. Not only that, He gives us the chance to try again. That’s what
grace is all about. Thank you, God, (and Mr. Kennedy!) for your grace. |
