My Chains Are Gone

The song "Amazing Grace" never used to bring tears to my eyes, but I don't think I'll ever hear it again and not cry. You see, my mom specifically asked my three children to sing the old hymn at her funeral; and true to form for Mom, she had a funny way of asking them. "I want you boys to play them guitars of yours and all three of you to sing 'Amazin' Grace' for Granny when she's gone. Lord knows the three of you can sing like mockingbirds and you're pretty good at strummin' them guitars, too. Will you do that for Granny?" And my three children did indeed "play them guitars" and "sing like mockingbirds" for Mom at her funeral ... and there wasn't a dry eye in the place as Mom's youngest grandchildren honored her request.

I've been thinking a lot about grace over the last couple of weeks ... a whole lot, in fact. I've been thinking about the avenue that God chose to extend His limitless grace to me, the sacrifice of His only Son. I wonder if God contemplated other ways to accomplish His plan to offer salvation to the world before sending His Son. I can't help but think ... salvation is God's gift to me, and it costs me nothing to accept it. And yet, it cost Him dearly ... it cost Him His Son. As a parent, I can't imagine sacrificing one of my three children, not for anything or anyone. In fact, I would much rather die in their place so that they could live than to sacrifice one of them. And in those thoughts, I realize even more how amazing God's grace really is ... demonstrated initially in the gift of salvation, and then throughout my life as He forgives my transgressions again and again.

As happens so often when God starts my mind churning on a certain subject, He takes me down a path that leads to a lesson He has for me to learn, a truth He has for me to glean, a new way of thinking He wishes me to adopt. So it wasn't far into my contemplation of God's grace that I began to think of how I extend (or don't extend, as the case may be) grace to others. Though I am called to imitate Christ in my life ... to sacrifice, to love, to forgive, to heal, to encourage ... do I? Do I extend grace to the weary, the broken, the needy, the sick, the lonely? Do I? Do I? Do I really? I have a young friend who teaches me more about extending grace than any adult I know. She is always happy to see me. She calls me when I'm not at church to make sure I'm OK. She refuses to let me dwell alone in my land of hermitude. She asks me to go to movies or come to her activities. She makes me talk, and she causes me to smile. I think it is far, far from coincidence that my young friend's name is Grace. Her heart for others is pure and true, and I am beyond certain that God has big things ahead for that sweet little girl.

A few years ago, a famous Christian artist took the old hymn that was Mom's favorite and revamped it a bit, adding some additional lyrics and making it more contemporary. I've been listening to that updated rendition of "Amazing Grace" off and on for the last couple of weeks, and there is one line in particular that keeps pounding in my head. "My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains; unending love, amazing grace."

Take my chains, Lord, and set me free. Teach me to receive Your grace, God ... and to extend it to others. Grace, Lord ... Your unending love ... Your amazing grace.