My World Turned Upside Down
For informational purposes, you should probably know that I make 10-12 trips to the grocery store per week. That may seem excessive to you, but I hate climbing stairs. I live in a second story apartment and thus, never like to buy more groceries than I can carry up the stairs in one trip. For this reason I rarely purchase whole watermelons or economy-sized laundry detergent. You may consider this to be lazy on my part, I prefer to think of it as … well, come to think of it, lazy seems to work.
On this particular trip, I was just getting a few essentials … bread, dog food, milk, peanut butter (crunchy, of course … creamy peanut butter is definitely the work of the devil). As I collected my last item, I made my way to the “
In the past I could sneak over to the “12 items or less” line, be done and out the door in ten minutes, but no more. Now everything has changed. All because of one word … one simple, seemingly innocent little word … a word that has forever changed my life and will result in me waiting in line at the store for what I estimate to be an extra 4-5 hours a month. That word is ABOUT. You see, the sign no longer says, “12 items or less.” Instead it now states very confusingly, “ABOUT 12 items or less.” Huh? Is that even good grammar?
Oh, trust me. I know why it happened. I just struggle to accept that it has happened. I am sure it started innocently. One day someone wandered into the line without remembering that extra box of Nutty-Buddies they had underneath their Guns & Ammo Magazine. Upon checking the items, the clerk probably said, “You have 13 items, I’m sorry but you’ll have to go to another line.” The individual probably mumbled some hollow apology and put back a pack of gum so they could stay in the line. Later, this shopper probably thought about it and determined that for some reason, their rights had been violated by this misunderstanding. So the next time they went to the store, they purposefully went to the EL and dared anyone to make them leave (by the way, for this theory to hold up, this same scenario must have been occurring at stores all over the United States at the same time).
Soon, anarchy was the norm, people were violating the posted “12 items or less” rule and store managers had to make a decision. In fairness to them, the managers were probably tired of the dispute and were not in the mood to pull obstinate mis-counters out of the line and create even more tension. In a darkened board room a suggestion was voiced, “What not make the whole ‘12 items or less’ thing optional … more like a suggestion.” In the blink of an eye, the regulation became a recommendation … the instruction became just a suggestion.
While my feelings about this might be a little stronger than necessary, it helps me to illustrate my point. That would be that people often view the Word of God in the same way. Throughout my ministry career, I have heard people justify or dismiss actions or attitudes by simply saying something like, “I know that it isn’t right, but God knows that we cannot be perfect,” and in an instant, God’s Word of instruction for us merely becomes God’s suggestions for how we should live.
This was not the way God intended and, unlike your neighborhood grocery store, he does not change his word to pacify people or to seek the path of least resistance or offense. The Apostle Peter wrote, quoting Isaiah, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25 … NIV) In other words, God’s teachings to Peter are the same as the ones for us. His instruction to Old Testament
Does that mean that grace does not matter? Of course not; God’s grace remains vital to forgive the sins that we have committed and will commit in the future because of weakness or temptation. Grace does not help us if we simply justify our actions because we think they are right when God says they are wrong. In addition, we are reminded by Paul that grace is not a permit for our sinful actions. He states, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2 … NIV). God sees through our self-righteousness and false spirituality if we are not serious about our remorse over the effects of our sin on ourselves and the body of Christ. He knows if our repentance is genuine or insincere.
Of course, one of the great things about the consistency of God’s Word is that while the instructions and commands are constant, so are the promises of eternity, blessing, direction, etc. As Paul would also remind us, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Oh how I miss my “12 items or less” line … I’d try those self-service lines, but I always end up being charged for 32 cans of Vienna Sausage.
DAVE
