I am a bargain shopper. I watch for deals on emails or blogs or Facebook. I have too many loyalty cards to count. I have one for all the grocery stores in my area even though I usually shop at Fry’s. I have cards for shoe stores. I have cards for restaurants. And I have teacher discount cards for Barnes & Nobles, Joanne’s Fabrics, Michael’s, and the list goes on.
One thing I’m not very good at is reading the fine print. Let me tell you, I have been burned a time or two because I didn’t read the fine print. Part of the reason I don’t read it is because I’m over 40 and well, you guessed it, I actually can’t see the fine print to read it. It’s so bad that now when Kurt and I go out to dinner and I have a coupon or Groupon, Kurt will insist on reading the fine print. Easier for him since he has a no-line bifocal.
The last time I didn’t read the fine print was over the Fourth of July Weekend. We went to Pei Wei because I’m on their mailing list…to save money and get coupons. I printed out the email that said, “Free Meal.” Woo hoo! Free meal! Kurt and I approached the counter and placed our order. I gave them the coupon I had printed and reached for the cash envelope marked eating out. The young woman explained to me that the coupon was good for the Fourth of July not the second of July. Kurt just laughed and shook his head. I reached back into the eating out envelope and withdrew more cash.
Why am I spending so much time on this? I was thinking about how grace if free. How it is not dependent on me or what I do. How there is no fine print to read. His grace is free. You don’t have to join a club, give your email address, clip a coupon, no, it’s a free gift.
Do you find yourself trying to work your way into God’s good graces?
I heard a sermon from Mark Batterson awhile ago that has stuck with me. He said if God were an emoji which emoji would He be? Mark Batterson believes God would be smiling face with smiling eyes emoji.
Since I heard that sermon every time I use the smiling face with smiling eyes emoji, I smile and I think about God smiling at me.
If there were fine print to salvation it would read something like this “You are my child. I love you. You are mine. And I will never leave you. I will always be with you. I love you!”
Today imagine the Father smiling at you and whisper a prayer of thanks that there is not fine print to His free gift of grace!