To live in this world requires money. Some people don’t want your money they just want your presence. One day my wife and I were selling and moving into to a new home. Like most young people we can not afford two men and a truck, but an SUV and many friends. So we asked friends to come help me move expecting to have to compensate for their time.
Everyone knows compensation for friends usually is food or gas money, they rarely ask for nothing. As we were getting prepared we realized we had no food in the apartment (ordering pizza would not do), so we prepared to give cash. But some people are genuine. They just want to help. I struggled with feeling the need to return the favor; we had the money so why not take it (I said to myself). I was trying to live out the scripture that says “owe no man nothing”. I took that literally to owe them nothing, to be in debt to no one. But the money wasn’t important to them. They said it was their pleasure to help (sounded like a Chick-fil-A line).
At that moment I realized I was experiencing something new…grace; something that I define as “meeting people where they are”. After much reflection, I thought about this and had a revelation of the scripture in this situation was missing the grace ingredient. Now I see that scripture instructed to not only give but to receive as well, for the rest of the text said: “owe no man but to love be him”. Showing and receiving grace is free no credit card necessary. Some people just want your presence more than your money.