saved by grace

I’m feeling a little stressed this week. Maybe you can relate… I am so worried about losing two contestants on American Idol!! Mostly, I am concerned that the voters of America will send home the wrong people.

How sad to sit under that kind of judgment. The idols  get 1 minute and 45 seconds to perform, and then four people pick apart their every flaw. For the next two hours, the people of this country hold the performers’ fate in their number-dialing hands.

The funny thing is, I can relate to the contestants’ experiences.  I judge myself all the time… on everything! I imagine that others are judging me the same way. Based on one mistake, or one sin, I decide what kind of person I am. I venture to determine what I deserve based on my failures.

Recently, I went to Indiana for my Grandpa’s funeral. He passed away at the ripe age of 93.  The memorial and the graveside service were far more spectacular than I expected. I learned something very valuable.

Grandpa was very rough around the edges. He was a hard-working man, but he lacked the ability to maintain good relationships. I imagine that he was never taught to show affection. My guess is that he never received much grace growing up, so he wasn’t good at giving others the space they needed to make mistakes and still feel loved when they failed.  Honestly, he could be quite a stinker.

Praise God that he came to know Jesus in a personal way while he was living with my aunt and uncle in his last few years. Grandpa received the forgiveness he needed from the Lord, and from his family members.

Still, how do you honor a man who spent most of his life making mistakes and hurting others? How does a funeral go for a man like this? I’ll tell you.

It was one of the most amazing funerals I have been to.

You see, I had forgotten that Grandpa served in the Navy during WWII. I was blown away at the memorial service when a dozen VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) members marched down the center aisle in their uniforms and saluted Grandpa’s casket. I cried and cried.

These loyal veterans carried his casket and then performed a spectacular graveside service. They had the most amazing things to say about their fallen comrade and his service to our country. There was a 21-gun salute. An American flag was ceremonially folded and handed to my uncle. It was so beautiful.

So how do you honor a man who made so many mistakes? By focusing on the things he did right. He was a hard-working provider for his family. He was a loyal servant of his country. Inside that rough and gruff exterior, Grandpa was an extraordinary man.

What did I learn from all of this?

I am going to make mistakes. A LOT of mistakes. However, because I am saved by Jesus, my God is not going to judge me based on my mistakes. Jesus took care of those mistakes on the cross. I saw this so clearly illustrated at Grandpa’s funeral. Jesus’ blood was poured out to cleanse him of his sins. They weren’t an issue anymore.

God looks at me and sees the amazing person that I am becoming. Once I ask Him to forgive my sins and mistakes, they are forgotten.

So when it is my turn to leave this earth and meet my God in person, I will have no fear. No worries about being judged. I will be honored for the things I have done right. It may not be much, but it will be all that matters and it will be all that is seen.