Note: this was an article I received in an email from Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders – Julie
By Amanda Scott
Our priest years ago told a story about his time in seminary school in Virginia. He and a friend from up north decided to travel to Georgia, his home state. Along the way they stopped at a Waffle House. They placed their orders and continued chatting. When the waitress brought their orders, the friend was surprised to find a mess of grits on his plate. “Excuse me, I didn’t order these grits,” he said. “That’s okay,” the waitress replied. “Well, I’m not paying for them.” The waitress looked puzzled.
It turned out that every meal came with a free side of grits. Finally, the mystery was solved and the seminarians realized that Grace is like grits. You don’t have to ask for it and you get it for free!
A recent article by LifeWay Research revealed that 71% agree that people first seek God then He responds with grace, meaning a majority of people don’t know grace is like grits!
If I ever forget that, I have Jasmine to remind me. She shared her story with our most recent team. As a child, Jasmine was sexually abused by her father. Eventually, she escaped the continued abuse, drugs, beatings, and prostitution that engulfed her life. Today she is almost two years drug free, she is working for the LAMB Institute, and is volunteering for our Alonzo Movement. “I always believed God loved me,” Jasmine says. No one had ever told her that, so how could she know God loved her? Pure grace. This grace, a free and unasked for gift carried her through her worst times, and it lifts her up today. Jasmine’s unconditional love shines through and impacts others around her. She passes God’s grace to her son, Lester.
I urge you to be among the 29% who know that grace is like grits. Give thanks to God that we don’t have to ask or pay for his grace in order to receive it. God makes the first move. He offers His grace first and always. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:16-17
Amanda Scott is a SAMS missionary serving in Children’s Ministry at the LAMB Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
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