I decided to do something new this year as we enter the week leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Because one of the greatest gifts that happened on Calvary was the gift of grace, I’m going to take each day this week and focus on that. I thought it would be good to remind myself of that amazing grace every single day. If you’d like, feel free to follow along throughout this week.
I never thought God could use a trip to San Antonio to continue to teach me things about grace. A few years ago I had a large presentation and meeting in San Antonio, Texas. I arrived in Texas on a Monday night around 11pm. I was weary from a long day and ready to check into my room at the Holiday Inn express. It’s not my hotel of choice, but it’s where my meeting was being held early the next morning. Like is or not, it’s where I was staying. Or so I thought…..
The nice people behind the counter at the hotel kindly informed me that all of the rain they recently had damaged a number of their rooms and I was going to be “walked to the Westin.” I had no clue what “The Westin” was, or why they were going to “walk” me anywhere. The next thing I know, I am given directions to my next destination. When I walked into the lobby, it was pretty clear that this was certainly not the Holiday Inn. From the valet parking at the front door, to the lobby big enough to land a plane in, as the man behind the counter said
“wow, this is quite an upgrade from the Holiday Inn.”
When I finally got to my room, I found the square footage to be larger then my apartment when I was single (and much nicer), robes in the closet, Starbucks coffee on the counter, even a telephone next to the toilet in the bathroom. This is the kind of place you see in movies and never dream of paying for. I was like a grown up version of the kid from Home Alone. The most amazing part came in the morning when I got my bill. It literally read $0.00. That’s right. No charge. Free. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. The Holiday Inn had paid the bill in full.
You probably see what I am getting at here. Isn’t that something like the grace we have been given? I had a debt to pay. A large debt. I did not earn this place. There was nothing I did, could have done, or will do to ever have made that possible. Someone else paid my price. All I needed to do was gladly accept the offer, and follow the directions to get there. Even though my original plans were “damaged,” someone had noted my situation and provided a better way. That alone would have been worth it all. But remarkably, they also paid my price in full. Now that really is, as they say, amazing grace.
