Fender Benders of Grace
Today I was dropping some packages off for work at the post office and I had a run in with grace. I only saw one parking spot open and it was between two cars on the crowded street. When I pulled next to the car in front of the parking spot a man opened his drivers door and slammed his door into my car. I hit reverse and I parked. I had two thoughts. One: Oh my gosh I just hit a mans car. Two: Oh my gosh a man just rammed his door into my car. Whose fault is it??
I got out of the car and looked at my car and noticed my car suffered the damage. And the man told me, “I didn’t see you, I am so sorry.” I looked at him and immediately said, “It’s ok life is about grace. Sorry that I hit your car. It’s all about grace.” At that moment God began to speak into my heart, “Ashton you won’t escape fender benders in life, but you also won’t escape my grace.” You only learn grace from fender benders. I thought, “Well I could of got his insurance and I could get a new bumper if I wanted or I could of tried to bargain with him and got some money out of the accident. I should have yelled at the man and made him feel bad that my car is messed up because he didn’t look and slammed his door into my car. I am the victim. I didn’t deserve this. I was parking legally. I was right. I… I… I…” But God convicted my heart about my thoughts.
I remembered that I have made mistakes. When I was 16 I hit a truck that was crookedly parked in the church parking lot. The owner didn’t charge me and showed me grace. When I was 22 I slammed into the back of a truck that had collided with another car. I had no choice but to pray and brace for impact on the freeway. God saved my life and the lives of my three passengers. I have cheated, lied and hurt people. But yet God has given me grace. God has never held my mistakes against me because of his amazing love for me. So how can I hold peoples mistakes against them. All of the accusing thoughts and self-righteous justification only makes you less like love, less like Jesus. A man who doesn’t live in grace lives in himself, his dark and unsatisfied self. I don’t want to live in myself. I want to live in Christ. I want to live a life all about grace. But that means I can’t be afraid of fender benders. I have to embrace the reality of accidents, mistakes, and imperfection. I have to be open to grace.