Never Say Never

During a recent airline flight things kept falling apart. I left my phone in security, madly dashed down one hallway, terminal, and people-mover after another; I even bought (!) food on the plane. Those aren't particularly bad things, but they're things I criticized others for. "If you'd been on time, you wouldn't have to run." "If you were responsible, you wouldn't forget your phone in security." "If you planned ahead you wouldn't have to buy overpriced food on the plane."

But there I sat--and I had reasonably good excuses. "Today," I said, "I am that person." Sin or no sin; my fault or not, things were out of control. Each missed flight put us one day (yes, a whole day) behind. Yes, I forgot my phone. With 30 minutes to get our family from the ticket counter to a far-off gate in Chicago's O'Hare Int'l Airport, we also lost a passport and laptop temporarily. And when your last meal was emptying-the-fridge-before-leaving 12 hours ago, you buy whatever they have--even the box with green olives and pate.

All that to say that when I'm critical of others, I am more like myself and less like Christ. In my backpack was the book, Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges. I read:

"Grace is not only to be received by us, it is, in a sense, to be extended to others. I say 'in a sense' because our relationship with other people is different than God's relationship with us. He is the infinitely superior Judge and moral Governor of the universe. We are all sinners and are on an equal plane with one another. So we cannot exercise grace as God does, but we can relate to one another as those who have received grace and who wish to operate on the principles of grace." (p. 50)

"God is generous beyond all measure or comparison. The Scripture says, 'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son'; and Paul spoke of this as God's 'indescribable gift' (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 9:15, emphasis added). God's inexpressible generosity, however, does not stop at saving us; it provides for all our needs and blessings throughout our entire lives." (p. 51)

After arriving at our destination and enjoying a wonderful time, rereading these same passages was even more meaningful. When I'm tempted to be critical or harsh--even in my thoughts--I need to examine my heart and ask God to turn it around. Awareness of my sin and His great grace will result in humility and gratitude. His gift of love can change my heart from grumbling to prayer and grace for others... even in the airport terminal.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:32-39)