The Grace of God
These two stories are talking about God’s grace and forgiveness. May they be a reminder to us that when times are hard and everything is falling apart, that God’s grace lifts us up. Although at times we think we have done so much for God, His sacrifice pays for it all and then a whole lot more. Let us never forget how much His love has done for us. How much more should we do for Him?
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.
"God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly.
But we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.
Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground–it just may be a smoke signal that summons The Grace of God.
A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on.
After his Mom Dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass: $5.00 For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00
For going to the store for you: $.50 Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25
Taking out the garbage: $1.00 For getting a good report card: $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00 Total owed: $14.75
Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge
For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge
For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years: No Charge
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge
Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.
When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said,
"Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote:
"PAID IN FULL".