Sanctifying Grace

This guy was standing in front of me in one of the many lines we all stand.  He had the big bulky look of a guy who had just left the work out room.  I had no choice but to read the back of his T-shirt.  It was staring me in the face.  In big bold letters which stood out in a commanding way on the black shirt were the words, "Hands trained for war, fingers for battle."  I figured the guy to be a second amendment advocate, or a veteran, or a member of a motorcycle gang.  Even now I am ashamed of my first conclusions for there on the side of the words I read about war and battle was Psalms 144:1.    

So, now I had to do what my daughters tell me not to do.  Here was a stranger to whom I had to talk.  I got his attention and said, "You have an interesting shirt.  Can you tell me about it."  As it turns out he was a first responder who had been attending a Christian Conference that day.  He told me about the Conference and then about his personal faith in Jesus Christ.  What a blessing I received from this guy's shirt and his witness!  And I thought all I was going to get in that line was a sub sandwich!   Once again I was reminded that God shows up to speak in the unexpected places through surprising people and once again I heard a word about judging people by how they look and what they wear.  

It seems like an old guy like myself would have that one down by now, but the truth is, I am still, as they say, a work in progress.  To use the language of the church, sanctifying grace is not about arriving at some spiritual destination, but about shaping us each day so that we manifest the heart of Jesus in our living.  Looks like I can use some more of than sanctifying grace because I obviously still have a ways to go.