Grace in our Home: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

On a sunny April day in 2009, Brian and I moved into our new home. We had been planning and packing for weeks in anticipation for this day. The smell of cardboard boxes filled our SUV and my hand held a set of smooth, cold keys that we had just picked up from our relator. We were homeowners.

As we pulled into the driveway we put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and took a moment to thank the Lord for the gift of this home. I had just completed graduate school and Brian was less than a year into his career. This house, this home, was a gift from God and we did not want to forget that. We anxiously opened the car doors and jumped onto our driveway, walked across our front lawn, smelled our blooming bushes, climbed our front steps, and unlocked the front door to our home. It was a memorable moment.

Over the next few hours we unloaded labeled boxes from the car into the appropriate rooms: kitchen, master bedroom, office, living room, laundry room, guest room, family room. After our third trip from our old apartment we simply started dumping boxes into the entry and figured we get them to their final destination later. We worked for six hours straight: driving, loading, driving, unloading. By three in the afternoon we had worked up an appetite and our empty fridge emulated the emptiness we felt in our stomachs. It was time to eat.

With boxes unopened and our stove not hooked up we decided to grill some burgers outside. We headed to the local market, picked up some fancy rolls speckled with sesame seed, pre made burger patties with cheese and grilled onions mixed into the meat, and a bottle of ketchup and mustard. I grabbed a couple bananas and muffins for breakfast and a tray of cut veggies to go with lunch and we headed home ready to make our first meal as homeowners.

It still baffles me how I ended up doing the grilling that day. Normally that is a joyfully anticipated event for Brian. He loves to set out the plate of red raw meat, have his tongs in hand, and listen to the sizzle of the grill with manly pride as he makes us burgers, BBQ chicken, grilled salmon, or grilled veggies but for whatever reason I did the grilling today. I stepped outside, pulled the BBQ two feet away from the house, turned on gas, and pushed the ignite button. I had grilled several times last year and I was looking forward to the honor of grilling the first burgers of the season.

The most important thing to remember when grilling is to make sure the gas is off when you are done, the grill is not close to the house, and to clean the grill properly both before and after. I successfully accomplished two of three tasks and that third one will forever haunt me. As the grill began to heat that day so did the bits of last season’s leftovers which quickly ignited into a two foot flame. The heat and shock sent me into action quickly closing the lid of the grill and turning the gas off. As I surveyed the area to check that all was well I noticed a droopy cartoon like animation to the side of our house. A ten by four foot area on the side of our house had melted the siding causing it to morph. I was mortified.

It is moments like this in your marriage you stop and think how to tell your spouse the bad news. I had lots of practice at telling the bad news but most of the time it was that I burnt dinner and we needed to order a pizza not that I melted our beautiful new house. I found myself slightly shy walking into the office upstairs where Brian was filling our bookshelf with novels and text books. In an emotional overflow I began to explain that I had not cleaned the grill and I damaged the side of the house. Brian hardly let me finish my repentant story before he had his strong arms wrapped around me in a tight and loving hug.

"Sweetie, its O.K. We can fix this." he said.

I love the man I married.  I love that we are a team that can "fix" the problems that arise. I love the grace he shows me. It is this type of grace that we experience on earth that gives us a small glimpse into heaven at the God who extends grace to us. We don't deserve it or earn it but desperately need it. So often we shy away from approaching God because of fear of His reaction to our follies however, when we shy away we miss the loving arms of favor that are already being extended to us. If my husband can so quickly forgive me and show grace how much more so can our almighty God? 

I often look at the side of my home and see the slight color difference in the new siding up against the old. I don't think of how careless I was in not properly cleaning the grill but of a beautiful moment of grace and forgiveness. It reminds me that when I feel I am at my messiest, clumsiest, most disorganized state God has His arms open ready to extend grace, favor, and honor to me.  

Scripture to ponder: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.