Didn't Fit in The Nutshell

I read a thought-provoking news article the other day about a big man and a pub.

A British man who is 6' 7" and almost 300 pounds was asked to stop going to The Nutshell in Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk because he is too big. The pub, officially Britain's smallest, has been operational since 1867 and is only 15' by 7' large.

The landlord put the ban into effect because the "Gentle Giant" as he's called takes up the same amount of space as four average-sized customers and in a pub this small, every inch counts. Fortunately, the ban is only in effect during the busiest time of the day.

The part of the story that interested me was the big man's attitude. He responded with aplomb, understanding why the pub's landlord would ban him. I wondered, would a person from the U.S. respond with the same matter-of-fact reasonableness? I think not. A banned bar drinker on our side of the Atlantic would demand his rights and would first, visit a lawyer and, second, contact the media which would probably decry the discrimination and widely publicized a demand for restitution.

Can we adopt a little of the Gentle Giant's attitude and stop demanding our rights all the time? Can we try, at least sometime, to see someone else's point of view? Grace is the word the Bible would use. We need to try to show each other grace, because occasionally, just occasionally another person's need really is greater than our own.

Three cheers to the Gentle Giant for showing grace.

The Gift of Grace

No one forgives with more grace and love than a child.

Real Live Preacher (Gordon Atkinson)

Do you ever have a word or concept that continually pops up in your life? You keep thinking about it, hearing about it and reading about it. The last three years, the concepts of community, worship, forgiveness, and now grace have become that type of word for me. 

Grace can be defined as unmerited favor, something we don't deserve. 

In music, there are grace notes. I found them described online as "Notations used in writing music. They are notes written much smaller than regular notes, and donate sounds that are shorter than full notes. They are ornaments, they hold little value in of themselves, yet they can advance and embellish works of music. Like a spice that makes a good meal great."

What a beautiful thought. I am trying to learn to add those little notes of grace into my relationships. I  hope that the grace I am striving to learn to freely give will help to "advance and embellish" my interactions with others.

My Teacher, as I study the subject of grace, is the author and originator of grace. If I can learn to extend to everyone around me, especially those who hurt or offend me, even 1/1,000 the amount of grace God pours out on me daily I will feel that I am being an obedient child to my Teacher. 

Image: salvatorevuono/freedigitalphotos.net

God, Grace and the Gift

On this day before Easter, I think about three things, God, grace and the gift.

Without God there would be nothingness.  End of story.  I wouldn't be here writing this, you wouldn't be there reading this.  If you don't believe in a universe created by God, you will, of course, disagree.  And you know what? That's your privilege.  But I've lived too long and seen too much to ever think that all of this - life, the universe, people, intelligent thought - is just happenstance, randomness.

Next, grace.  I can't even begin to comprehend this concept.  Theologically it's often defined as unmerited favor, a blessing given which is undeserved.   As messed up as I am, as many mistakes as I make, as unlovable as I can be - still, grace is poured down on me.  I am loved and forgiven - every time.

And finally, the gift, represented by the cross, the iconic symbol of all Christendom.  The gift was a sacrificed son.

The early Israelites could only obtain forgiveness for their sins through animal sacrifice.  Seems barbaric, strange, incomprehensible to 21st century minds.  But we have to be purified somehow.  What right do we have to think that we could ever be good enough to deserve to be in the presence of an Almighty God?

And so, the gift of a son sacrificed.



Day 7 of the Blogging A to Z Challenge, the letter G.
 

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