When our younger son was three years old, he and his mother were having one of those days we want to forget. I clearly remember hearing her say to him, “Why don’t you act your age?” I slipped up behind her, put my arms around her and whispered in her ear, “He is.” Tonight, 40 years later, we went out to eat and he picked up the check. He was acting his age.
I was tempted to play the “I’ll Pay” game, but I resisted by allowing him the dignity of “acting his age.” So often we are tempted to play that game with Jesus. He has already picked up the check but there is something inside us that wants to argue that we should do something. We can do something. We can allow Jesus to “act His age.” Sometimes when someone picks up the check we say, “Well, at least let me pay the tip.” Sorry, that doesn’t work with Jesus. He has more than covered everything necessary. And so I said to my son, “Thanks Michael.” That same response works with Jesus. “Thanks Jesus.”
I was reminded of a conversation I overheard once at a car dealership. There was one of those super high powered spec cars on the showroom floor. Audi probably only made six of them total. There was no price tag so I heard a man say to a salesman, “How much for that?” The salesman smiled and said, “Believe me. You can’t afford it. The only way you could have that car is if Audi gave it to you.”
There it was, the story of our salvation. So let’s act our age around the eternal one. We are the children, no matter how wrinkled and gray.
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 22, 2016
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