Pastor Janae’s Blog

In the movie Seven Pounds, Will Smith’s character, Ben Greene, says this line…”I have the power to drastically change his life, but I need to know if he’s a good person…” In other words, Ben Greene had the ability to perform a kind deed for someone who desperately needed it, but a prerequisite was the recipient’s worthiness.

Haven’t we all been on the receiving end of a benefactor’s good will? At some point in our lives, each of us has needed the generous or gracious hand of a mentor, sponsor, tutor, admissions committee, or perhaps debt collector. We may have lined up several justifications for our worthiness, including our tremendous efforts, past successes, or perceived need. Yet at the end of the day, we fell several degrees short of perfection and the ideal. There may have been another candidate more qualified or another student more focused. The benefactor may have looked at your curriculum vitae or your transcripts and said, “I have the power to drastically change his life, but I need to know if he’s a worthy candidate.” And at that moment, the words on the page become slaves to grace. It’s grace that gets you the promotion, the internship, the opportunity. It’s grace that stamps “approved” on the application. It’s grace that changes the formula against which you’re measured.

Ben Greene’s statement awakened my appreciation for grace. God through Jesus Christ extended a gift to me (and to you), a gift that had the power to drastically change my life. In this situation, however, my worthiness was not in question. For if it were, there was no doubt or uncertainty. I was definitely NOT worthy. For this gift, a gift more significant than any worldly treasure and more enduring than time, there were no prerequisites. There were no stipulations.

I applaud the Ben Greene’s of the world who are selfless enough to offer the very best of themselves that others may be better off. It does not compare, however, to the gift that God gave this world, his only son Jesus Christ. Let us be ever mindful of the enormous gift that God gave us in and through Jesus Christ. It is the gift that cannot be bought, but it can be passed on.

In this season of giving, what will you give? Join me and thousands of others in the Advent Conspiracy. We are giving more – our time, our energy, our compassion, our faith. Jesus gave without preconditions. Let us strive to do the same.