Law vs. Grace

Jerome had one of his "Daddy Date Nights" with the boys last night while I had my girls group. EVERY single time he takes the boys to McDonald's he gets in the big play thing with them. Last night he said he was shocked to hear a very angry voice saying, "Sir, you come down from there right now!" He thought something bad had happened. So he slides down the slide with Asher in his lap to find out what is the matter.

(OK...I am laughing while typing this....Jerome is 37 years old sliding down the slide at McDonald's to an angry worker.)

The lady points to the big toy thing and proceeds to tell him how unsafe it is...how much trouble she could get in for letting him be in there. This is his response...exactly, "Lady, I have played in McDonald's playlands from the east coast to the west coast and have never been kicked out of one."

(I am cracking up out loud right now.)

She then asks if he would like her to call her manager. He says, "Sure."

(I love that he is determined to get to play in the playland with the boys. This is a serious issue for him.)

She leaves a message for her manager. While they wait she points to the rules and continues telling him how bad his offense is. He looks at the rules and number 2 says that you may enter to supervise your children. He reads it to her. Flustered, she goes out of the play area and stands at the window to watch him while she waits for a call back from her manager. A few minutes later she comes in and tells him her manager said he could go ahead and PLAY this one time. So with great joy he went back up into the big play thing with the boys.

I was laughing hysterically when he was telling me this. I told him I HAD to blog about it. I asked if we could tie some spiritual principal to it. He quickly likened the experience to law vs. grace. He said that he was walking in grace and there was joy and freedom. The rules clearly said you could enter the big play thing to supervise your children. He was not sinning. He was enjoying his relationship with his boys. The McDonald's employee had misinterpreted the rules. She added her own rule because she didn't think the rule provided enough safety.

An example is drinking. The bible is clear that drinking is NOT a sin. In fact some places in scripture encourage it. Scripture clearly teaches getting drunk IS a sin. (If you can not drink without getting drunk it is wise to not drink AT ALL.) A lot of Christians will say as emphatically as the McDonald's lady...you can NOT drink if you are a christian. Then you go to scripture and see something different. I think most who believe you can not drink at all teach it to others out of a desire to see them kept safe. It is scary to let God lead each individual (in areas that are not sin)...trusting God to keep them safe. The beauty of us having a relationship with God is letting Him lead us thru His grace to places of joy and freedom.

Let me clarify something. We have people that are a part of The Fixx that God has led to a place of NO DRINKING. We rejoice with them. For them this is where they have freedom. They can NOT drink and have freedom. Drinking leads them to bondage. GOD and NOT THE LAW has led them to a "no drinking" place.

Jerome and I did not drink for years. God led us. At a certain point we felt released by Him from that. (Probably because He had healed the things on the inside that led us to get drunk.) We had the freedom to NOT drink for years...because God led us. For years now we have had the freedom TO drink...because God has led us.

Thanks for hangin' in there with me while I (tried to) tie this all in.