I was the last of Mom, my cousin and I going through the airport security. We all had each other's things. As I was collecting the things I was carrying, I was looking for one more purse. I was asked if I was looking for a specific purse and I said yes. I was called over and they asked if anything might be in the purse that would be harmful. At first I said no and then I said, "there shouldn't be." The agent thought there might be a metal fingernail file in the purse but couldn't find anything. I patiently waited and then she started opening a smaller purse inside. Tucked in the bottom was a large, lightweight pocket knife! I was in shock! Then she pulled the long blade out and I was dumbfounded! I couldn't even speak. Mom and Donna were having fun in the corner while I was about to be arrested! Before confiscating the knife, the agent held it with her blue gloved hands while I took a picture so I could show my travel partners. She could not have been nicer. Donna and Mom could not believe it when I told them and they started laughing. No one recognized the picture! We ended up getting so tickled - my giggles were nervous giggles! The agent saw us and walked over and told us not to worry about it and joined in on the picking! We all respect the security measures and she knew we were shocked! She ended up laughing with us as we picked on each other. We laughed a lot about the incident and one of us earned the name, "Blade". I am so thankful the agent showed me grace! Oh, we think the knife must have come from my uncle. On more than one occasion, when we took him to the hospital, we confiscated pocket knives from him. I was going to attach the picture but don't want to be put on a do not fly list!
I have to say I was very thankful the agent extended grace - you should have seen that blade! And it was so sharp. Grace that I was shown is defined as, "courteous goodwill." God's Grace is His unmerited favor. How can we be strong in grace? We grow strong in grace when we understand God's unconditional forgiveness of us. Then we learn to forgive others, unconditionally. When Paul wrote to Timothy he began his letter with 2 Timothy 2: 1, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." If Paul had said, "be strong" that would have sounded like something we could not do. We need Jesus. I believe that is why he said, be strong in the grace that is in Jesus. We can not do it ourselves! 2 Peter 1: 2, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." Peter is offering us and praying for us to experience an increase of grace and peace. He is praying for grace and peace to be increased in our lives, as we grow through life. We always need more grace and peace!
In Matthew 18: 21-35, Jesus tells a parable about a servant who is forgiven of an insurmountable debt owed to the king. Instead of taking the grace shown to him and offering it to others, the servant began choking a man till he paid his debt! When the King heard of his servant's lack of grace he threw him in prison until he paid what he owed. Verse 35, "So My
Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” We are called to offer grace to others because no debt owed to us compares to the insurmountable debt of sin that Jesus has forgiven. Our Christian life is not steady. We are either growing in grace and peace, or we are not. Rick Warren said, "What gives me the most hope every day is God's grace."
I leave you with Philippians 1: 2, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."