June 4, 2025
Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. Colossians 3:17 The Message
“What does it mean to be truly grateful?” That question arose in a text message chain while I was eating breakfast this morning. I was pondering what it means as I later walked the dogs. A man about my age riding a bike stopped and asked if he could give my dogs a treat. It was the second or third time this has happened in the past month. This time, I asked why he takes the time to stop and give treats to dogs. His answer blew me away. “My wife of 52 years died 2 years ago. She prepaid my grief with her love. I give treats to dogs as a way of sharing that love…It’s also a good way to flirt with women!” He went on to tell me that there is still a big empty hole in his life. He said, “I think about what heaven is like for her, hanging out at Jesus’ feet and having all of her theological questions answered.” I told him I look forward to that as well.
We went our separate ways, but I’ve been thinking about it all day. “She prepaid my grief.” It’s not that he has no grief. He still misses her. Yet, in some way, her love remains present in his life. The words of an old hymn title run through my head, “He Paid a Debt He Did Not Owe.” The hymn might not fit with every theory of atonement, but there is something proactive about grace. Jesus modeled grace that wasn’t transactional. It wasn’t quid pro quo. Grace doesn’t demand anything in return. It was and is a gift. That blew the minds of Jesus’ religious contemporaries, flew in the face of the demands of Caesars then, and now. It just is….
Grief seems to be in season right now. It would be great if Jesus snapped his fingers and everything would be all right. Instead, amidst anguish and anxiety and grief for what has been lost, as a follower of Jesus, I’d like to see him in the flesh. It would be great to never feel alone or empty. Yet somehow, by grace alone, his love continues to pay it forward. Gratitude is the only response to such love.
I’m grateful for friends who send thought-provoking text messages, and for the man who treats my dogs with such grace. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 