Lessons from the Sabbatical--October 4, 2013

Today’s lesson comes to you courtesy of a block of moldy cheese.

We were way behind with grocery shopping, so we used our Friday night to go as a family. I am trying out a new grocery store because I noticed a significant increase in the total cost of our weekly run. This new store is a bit further away, and the layout is all different. Today’s experience may have me running back to the other store.

All was fine until we got home (after a 30 minute drive). As we were putting the groceries away I noticed that the block of cheese I had picked out had mold all over it! How this fact escaped me I will never know. There was no way I was going to trek back over with the cheese block and my receipt to fix the problem (the cost of gas getting there and back would have outweighed the cost of the cheese), so into the trash the cheese went.

A few minutes later, Trey and I were talking about this incident, and I was apologizing for my oversight for maybe the seventh time (I have a strong tendency towards apologizing…a lot…just ask anyone who knows me). In response to my overly contrite manner, Trey said, “What would you say if it was me who picked up the cheese?”

FULL DISCLOSURE AND COMPLETE HONESTY WARNING: My answer to him? “I would ask you why you didn’t check it before you put it in the cart.”

Ouch. That man shows me more grace than I show him on a regular basis. He wasn’t raking me over the coals over my inability to pick out fresh cheese. He wasn’t asking me to rephrase my unasked-for apology until it resembled what he wanted to hear. He was just going to let it go, have a good laugh about it, and move on. And I can tell you that if he had picked out that block of cheese, I would still be letting him hear about it.

I need grace. We all need grace. While not actively seeking situations that would encourage the practice of giving grace, I know I need to work on this area. And I don’t just need to work on giving grace to others, I also need to extend a little to myself. I’m still mad at myself for picking up a block of moldy cheese, but I can guarantee you nobody else in the house is thinking about it.

Short, sweet, and to the point, here’s the lesson: God has shown you immeasurable grace. Give grace to others and to yourself.