Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you, because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him, you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. -1 Corinthians 1:3-9 NRSV
On our way home, Hillary and I stopped at Subway to get a couple of sandwiches to go. The woman who waited on us was funny, kind, and attentive. I enjoyed the conversation with her as much as I enjoyed the food. As a result, I tipped her well. I’ve had other experiences where the service wasn’t great. It was as if the employee was in a bad mood or didn’t want to be there. I usually don’t tip well on those occasions, quite honestly because they did nothing to deserve it.
In today’s scripture reading, the apostle Paul gives thanks for the grace of God. It’s freely given by God, not because people deserve it or earn it. In fact, even on the best of days, people don’t deserve God’s grace and are incapable of earning it. And yet it’s still freely offered to all and what a gift it is! I can’t wait to get lousy service again. Being more mindful of receiving grace that I don’t deserve and more gratefully appreciating how God’s grace has impacted my life, I’m going to respond to lousy service by doing something that the server doesn’t deserve–leaving generous gratuity. Maybe the employee’s bad day or difficult life will, even if just for a moment, improve. Maybe receiving a gift that the server doesn’t deserve will enrich, encourage, and strengthen her or him for life’s journey.
That’s what the grace of God does for me.
