A Picture of Grace

What is God’s grace? It is God’s unmerited favor. It is kindness that is notdeserved or earned. Imagine a parent sets a jar on the counter. Every day that the kids are good, they each get to put a penny in the jar. Every day they are bad, they take a penny out; and if they are all really, really bad, the parent has the option of emptying the jar. When this jar is full, the kids all get to go out for ice cream. Now, imagine a day at home with the kids when every one of them is as bad as can be. The day starts out with screaming and crying and fights. They yell at the parent. They insult one another. They refuse to do their chores. If a rule can be broken, it is broken, and if there is a chore to be done, it’s ignored. There is total chaos. The agreed “contract” in place is that on a day like that, the jar gets emptied. But instead, the parent calls the children into the kitchen and says, “I love you. Let’s go get ice cream.” That’s grace.