Already Been Paid

In the children’s book Eric Says Sorry, Eric breaks a neighbor’s flowerpot. This begins a series of mistakes (sins) as he tries to cover it up: he steals supplies, he blames his sister, he lies to his parents. Finally, he admits what he did wrong. His father then takes him to the store to buy a new flowerpot. When he goes to pay for it, his dad lets him know there is no need because he has paid for it already, and then uses that as a moment to explain grace. The scene is reminiscent of Galatians 4 because we see a loving father who gracefully redeems his son by paying for and fixing the mistakes that he made (Dai Hankey, Eric Says Sorry [Charlotte, NC: The Good Book Company, 2016]).