Recently, I received a special birthday gift—a voucher from our daughter and her husband for a restaurant I had always wanted to try but felt was beyond our budget. They could ill afford such a gift, yet I knew they gave it in love and wanted my husband and me to enjoy the whole experience.
I made a booking and looked forward to our dinner out with great anticipation, studying the menu online beforehand and deciding how best to use every last cent of that voucher! We also hoped we would do our special meal justice—we had never tasted some of the more exotic o
fferings before.
When we arrived, we were escorted to a table overlooking the nearby river and small inlet. It had been raining, but the clouds and the filtered light of the setting sun only added depth to the beautiful panorama before us. Manicured lawns sloped down to the public park near the water’s edge. Ferries passed at regular intervals, while smaller boats bobbed around in the bay below. Inside the restaurant, the sandstone walls and white linen tablecloths glowed, as candles were lit. What a privilege to be enjoying this moment, I thought, given in love by our daughter and her family!
The manager kindly answered our questions and we made our selections. Then, as we waited for our meal, I sat back and decided to forget about what it had cost our daughter and her husband and simply appreciate it all. Even now, as I remember the main course that soon arrived, my mouth waters. Succulent, flavoursome, cooked to perfection and served with
elegance—a treat for the eyes and the taste buds. As for the dessert—well, anyone for a light, tempting, melt-in-your-mouth mango soufflé?
Yet at times that evening, I found myself struggling with some strange, doubt-filled thoughts. Did I deserve such a special meal? Was it okay for us even to be here in this top-class restaurant? Were we merely interlopers in someone else’s world, pretending we belonged? After all, we weren’t about to pay for our meal. Perhaps they would throw us out any moment! But then, as sanity returned, I realised someone had paid for our special dining experience—and that they truly wanted me to enjoy it.
It was not until later that I realised how this whole experience was like a mini-parable of God’s amazing grace in reaching out to me, freely forgiving me and accepting me through Jesus.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God … Ephesians 2:8
What an enormous ‘voucher’ was extended to me that day on the cross, paid for by God’s own Son! Yes, I am unworthy to receive it. Yet how sad it would be if I were to refuse such a loving, gracious gift and resist walking into all the freedom and joy of living as God’s child! Refusing to enjoy the gift of a beautiful meal is one thing, but refusing to accept the gift of God’s grace is a much, much greater tragedy.
May you and I receive God’s gift with open, grateful hearts and continue to live each day in the joy of belonging to the family of God.
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