Grace Period

The elderly man in front of me in line at Kohl’s was returning a green pullover sweater he had gotten for Christmas from his daughter.  He told the clerk that he wanted a red plaid flannel shirt and she explained he could have a store credit and shop for one.  When he asked how long the store credit was good for she replied, “There is no grace period,” and he nodded in understanding.

As the casual observer to this interaction, I believe the clerk meant “there is no expiration date” and that was what the gentleman understood as he walked away smiling.  As someone who enjoys words, I worried about such misuse but then I thought:

                “There but for the grace of God go I.”

We learn about grace periods when we are young.  A parent threatens, “I’m going to count to 3.  One…” and a child hustles to get the toy picked up or their teeth brushed.  Well, they hurry a few times until they figure out how things really work in that relationship.  We get used to penalties being waived and the first time they are not, we’re surprised.  “The professor really demoted my grade because I was a day overdue?!” or “There’s a late fee charge on my bill?!” or “What? They kicked me off the team because I didn’t get my part done on time?”  

In this electronic age there is no grace period once we’ve hit ‘send’ or hung up after leaving a message. When someone shares a story about a too quick response that they now regret, we can think:

                “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Advertisers play to our egos telling us “I’m worth it.”  This is the opposite of the theological issue of ‘grace’ which stated simply is ‘the unmerited favor of God towards man.’  Many believers base their faith on a concept that whatever good we get in life we do not deserve but receive because of the Creator’s grace and love.

For all good things most of us are grateful, and many spiritual people offer up grace before or after a meal or begin and end the day with a feeling of gratitude.  We read the headlines and think:

“There but for the grace of God go I.”

I have written before about our fear of delighting in the good times because we might jinx it or because we are conditioned to expect the bad.  I am no theologian, but the Being I believe is out there does not work that way, does not keep score.  Life works that way.  The human condition is such that there are good times and bad times.  And times of grace.

Marilyn