How Grandpa and his ute shaped my view of grace
Jodie Barnes
President
Avondale Students’ Association
When I was 13, I had the privilege of driving Grandpa’s new Toyota HiLux around the back paddocks of his property in Queensland. Mid-afternoon each day, I’d drive slowly along the perimeter of each paddock, while Grandpa, in the passenger seat, would check his cattle, noting paddocks to be checked again the next day. We’d stop every few paddocks and check the water troughs, topping up any that were empty.
On one afternoon, after noticing an empty looking trough, I parked the ute close to the gate of the paddock while Grandpa filled the trough. Getting back into the ute, ready to move from one paddock to the next, I started the engine and bunny hopped into the wooden fence post adjoining the gate. This crumpled the front left of the ute. Because I was underage, damage to the ute could not be claimed on insurance, leaving a hefty repair cost. I was distraught. I had no way of paying for the damage.
After sulking for a few days, trying to think of creative ways to pay for the damage, Grandpa approached me. He said he would pay for it all. He didn’t want anything from me. Instead, he asked that when given the opportunity, I pay forward his kindness and grace.
His kindness has shaped my view of grace. Even though I didn’t deserve Grandpa’s gift and had no way of paying him back, he gave freely to me out of unconditional love.
God’s grace is like Grandpa’s. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life (John 3:16, The Message).
What an incredible gift.
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