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"No grace for me!"

cat

When our kids were younger, we had a cat.

A cat which caused much disturbance in the house. Not necessarily because it was a bad cat. It was actually, quite well behaved.

The problem is that we also had a two-year-old boy at the time.

This, in and of itself, was not an issue either. The two actually got along quite well. When the cat cries, the two-year-old knows to put him down. Even though there was much rough housing between them, they really did seem to enjoy each other’s company.

However, at one point the cat had surgery. He became, well, no longer a ‘he’. He also had all his claws removed since he was an inside cat, and we had hardwood floors throughout the house (which, with the furniture, we would like to keep in decent condition).

The recovery period had been hard, mainly because the two-year-old loved to play with him, but he cannot. So, he had become rather mean. Since he could not pick the cat up, he would push it over on the ground. Since he could not cuddle with the cat, he would lay on top of it. The crying of the cat was to no avail, because the two-year-old thought his only obligation to crying was to put the cat down, but it was on the floor already.

So, there were a few more ‘time-outs’ than before.

One morning as he was pushing the cat around, yet again, he was sent off to sit for two minutes in a time-out. The whole way over, and the whole time he was sitting he was lamenting loudly.

“There’s no grace. No grace for me. There’s no grace. No grace for me.”

I couldn’t help but smirk (without letting him see, of course).

He had been given numerous chances, large amounts of grace, yet when punishment finally comes, he cries foul.

“There’s no grace. No grace for me. There’s no grace. No grace for me.”

I smirk because I see him in me. God gives me numerous opportunities to change my ways. To put to death the old nature and bring to life the new. To follow his leading in my life and listed to the Holy Spirit.

But I choose not to listen, and continue to do the same old things.

Then, when something bad happens that finally causes me to face the music. When punishment finally comes, holding me accountable for what I have refused to do, I scream foul.

“There’s no grace. No grace for me. There’s no grace. No grace for me.”

While this is a natural response, it is not fair to God. There are too many times we discount all the good things we have been given and simply cry out against God when anything bad happens. One way to work against this is to consciously seek out the good, seek to see the grace. This, then, becomes my prayer.

"God, help me see your grace in your life. Help it change me. Help me listen."

May it be your prayer as well.