Happy New Year friends! 2018- WOWZA! Sounds so futuristic. I love the start of the year. It is always so exciting to enter a New Year as it is full of reflection and sentiment but also goal setting and dream casting. This New Year was especially thrilling as I celebrated across the world in Dubai, UAE watching fireworks on a roof top hours ahead of everyone back in the states. It was a ten day trip that was every bit adventurous and exciting as I trekked through London and Dubai with some of my closest college friends. Once in a lifetime for sure. Prior to the trip spending really cherished time with friends and family. I truly hope everyone’s Christmas season was restful and Christ focused and that 2018 has already been great.
Now I am BACK IN GVILLE for Junior year’s Spring Semester. WHOOP WHOOP (as I type this I hear my mother’s voice screaming this-ask her about the title of her autobiography). As my body hates me a little (I woke up wide away at 6 this morning) and I adjust back to the good ole USA/Gainesville life/friend catch ups/school (what is school?!?) I can’t help but be floored at the Lord’s clarity in reminding me of the beauty of the gospel already. Here it goes: So as some of you may know, last spring (wow it’s been a year) I made big girl moves and bought a scooter. I deem it a “big girl move” because although my parents said I could it wasn’t their most thrilling idea (I mean I’m sure it was influenced by the fact my Dad got in a motorcycle accident in college- but hey that’s how he met my mom so it all worked out). On top of that scooters are expensive. I still am a college student ballin’ on a budget. BUT public transportation (I am a huge fan of and was very grateful for it the previous fall) was just not cutting it. I desired more freedom then being bound to the bus schedule (sometimes early, sometimes late) and on top of that you already know about my thing with efficiency. Sometimes (most times) the bus was just not the most efficient thing for this super busy college girl. So this all to say- I did it. On my own. Researched it. Paid for it. And drove off into the sunset. And all was well. Until the battery died. Or I had to get a new license plate. Or needed an oil change. Charles, as I call my 150 Sport Orange mildly scratched up scooter, has not always been the most reliant little scooter. BUT I love him still and it has been a journey. And that couldn’t be more true when right before winter break he died and I reluctantly called the mechanic to come get Charles and once again fix the who knows what problem. Frustrated to say the least. Fast forward to yesterday. Had a chance to go pick Charles up. The mechanic had told me over the phone it just needed a new battery. Not a big deal. By the time I got there I was rushed for time because of a class I had. So I pulled out my credit card before I even walked in. My mechanic is great but he likes to talk A LOT. So I had a game plan to walk in, card in hand, ask to pay and head out. I had a goal of under 5 minutes. Well I couldn’t have sooner asked to pay then the next thing you know I’m instead staring at Charles and listening to every detail of a scooter’s battery. So much for five minutes. As my patience was disappearing the next words from my mechanic just floored me. I also preface this with saying I was in no way excited to pay who knows how much for this repair. I don’t work while in school and had just paid for Christmas presents as well as a trip to Dubai. The budgeting was about to come in strong. Until “yea so technically you stored your scooter here for a month. That’s fifty dollars. And a new battery… plus service fee… but yea I’m just not going to charge you. I really should but I’m just not”. He handed me the key and said-“yea let me know if you need anything else this semester” and walked back into the shop. I am 100% sure if it weren’t for the running time clock going in my head I would still be standing in that garage in shock. Here I was with a debt to be paid- one I knew I owed- and it was so kindly, graciously, lovingly cleared. Not because I deserved it. Not because I even asked for it. But because the mechanic had grace on my college, lack of scooter knowledge self and said “you know what today, today you don’t have to pay”. You can bet the tears were flowing all the way to class. And here’s the thing ya’ll. Is that not an earthly manifestation of the purest form of the gospel? That we, as sinners, we are in debt! We deserved to pay. Heck- I won’t speak for ya’ll but I KNOW I deserved to pay. For my pride. My selfishness. My deceit. My slander. My lack of faith. My gossip. Oh my sins- they are many. YET- our Savior did not count them against me but instead LAVISHED His love upon me. He paid for them all- every last one on that cross. He died the most awful death as God perfected in man and said “It is finished”. Not to remain in the grave but to later, in three days, claim VICTORY over death. To bridge the gap so we may freely live this life in complete assurance of our eternity. In complete assurance of our salvation. In complete assurance of our identity in Christ. Oh how sweet a love. Oh how sweet a cross. This verse in 1 Peter comes to mind: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 And so friends. As the giddiness of the Christmas season wears off. As the New year’s resolutions begin to fail. As the work picks back up. As the family problems and issues arise. As the year gets tough. As the year is sweet and full. May we remember. May we reflect on the “thing”. Not on the circumstance, the person, the situation, the emotion. But the thing itself. The thing being Jesus- our Lord and Savior. And may we remember the gospel. That we can grasp deeper and understand more the debt we owed and the debt that was paid. May we all have a Charles the scooter experience in 2018. May God remind us of the beauty of the gospel daily- in fresh, new, tangible ways. Just as He did for me yesterday. A girl with a broken, messed up scooter that needed to be fixed. The fixing had a serious cost. The cost was weighty, expensive and known. Yet a mechanic comes along- fixes it all and says “I’m bearing this cost”. I charge you nothing. The debt is cleared. Be fixed. Drive away. And so may we accept this sweet, unimaginable gift daily friends. And may we live “fixed”, “new”, and “drive away” in this coming year.
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AuthorI LOVE JESUS, GRACE, PEOPLE, PUNS, TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND THE FLORIDA GATAS Archives
October 2016
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