Déjà Vu

Written on April 10, 2014.

Total déjà vu.

This ripe banana story very eerily mirrors the last one I posted: Color Me Rad as well as one from a couple of years ago called: Up Close and Personal.

Back in late February, a friend of mine posted on Facebook that Switchfoot would be playing a concert in San Francisco in mid-April. When I heard of the concert and that my friend was definitely going, I was sorely tempted to buy a ticket and tag along. Switchfoot has been one of my favorite bands since high school and the last time I saw them in concert was about nine years ago when I was living in Portland.

The tickets for the concert were $22. I entertained the idea of going for close to two weeks but in the end, I couldn’t justify spending the money when I really need to be saving for a new laptop. Finally, I resigned the idea and confided in Jesus my predicament:

“I really want to go to the Switchfoot concert but don’t feel any peace about spending the money.”

Then I  added,

“but if you want to provide me with a free ticket, I’d be more than happy to go!”

Fast forward about a month. This morning (Thursday, April 10, 2014), I woke up and happened to spend a few minutes on Facebook just before heading out the door for the morning. A friend of mine is a DJ for the local radio station: Broken FM and today is his birthday. He had just posted the following on the radio station’s Facebook page:

“It may be my birthday but you guys are getting the gifts. We’ll be drawing three winners at 2:00 pm to see Switchfoot this Wednesday in SF. To enter, like and comment on this post. -Tim”

Of the few posts I saw before heading out the door, Tim’s post about the Switchfoot tickets was one of them. I “liked” and commented on the post but not knowing how many others would enter to win the tickets, I wasn’t holding my breath I might win… but the good news was waiting for me by the time I logged back on in the early evening:

I had won a pair of tickets to the concert!

Wow.

Really?!

Didn’t this happen last month with the Color Me Rad race registration? For whatever unfounded reason, I felt like God wasn’t allowed to give me two, “just for fun” gifts back to back like that. He has to spread them out a bit more. Or at least He should.

It’s not that He isn’t able and loving because He is. It is just that… well…

I don’t deserve two in two months.

Oh, wait.

Did I just say that?

Why do I have such a hard time understanding the concept of grace? Why do I constantly catch myself thinking I am able and in need of earning God’s favor? God never gives us gifts because we earned them. A lifetime of good works couldn’t earn the tinniest gold star or pat on the back. Every breath I breathe, step I take, meal I eat and ability I have is a gift from God. They are all forms of His glorious grace. As John says,

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” (John 1:16 NLT)

Today’s gifts from God include two tickets to see Switchfoot next week.

Awesome.

God’s unmerited favor is truly awesome.

And so was the concert!