I confess…I burned the sausage.  And not just a little, I burned it real good – or real bad depending on how you look at it.  The grandkids were over and I got suckered into a couple of games of hide and seek and before you know it, I got burned.  Or at least the sausage got burned.  I haven’t googled it but I think in Texas burning barbecue in any shape or form is a misdemeanor.  So, let’s just keep this between us.  This all occurred three weeks ago.  The ribs turned out good that day but the sausage was a total loss.  Avery who is 6 asked her mom to cut off the burned part and when Lauren tried to do that, there was nothing left.  It was all burned.  Despite the fact that Avery really loves grilled sausage, she showed me some grace.  She said, “That’s okay Pawpaw.  Everybody messes up sometimes.”  She forgave me.

Fortunately with the good weather we’ve had the last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to try again.  The last two weekends we have cooked out and the sausage has turned out great.  But even though I had been forgiven for my prior grilling transgression I have to say, there has been a lot of attention and comments directed to my barbecuing behavior especially from the granddaughters.  Now, to be fair, I have brought this on myself by interrupting our games of hide and seek or some other activity by asking, “Does anyone smell sausage burning?”  This has led to much joyful discussion by the girls of the ills that will befall me at their hands if I ever let such a disgraceful thing happen again.  I am sure that “the great sausage burning of 2016” will not soon be forgotten.

While I know they are just playing with me and I know that I have never really been in trouble, I do love the fact that one of the first thoughts that was expressed by the girls was one of grace.  “That’s okay, everybody messes up sometimes.”  I am glad they are being raised understanding about forgiveness and grace.  We all need it.  We all mess up sometimes.  God’s word is clear on that.  All of us mess up and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) and yet God freely offers grace to all.  The Bible says “the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people (Titus 2:11)”.  God is ready to forgive us of all of our transgressions we have committed whether they were due to inattention or whether they were done on purpose.  God is ready, willing and able to remove them from us as far as the east is from the west.  The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That’s a comforting thought.  We can have forgiveness with God through His Son Jesus Christ.  I am glad my granddaughters are learning about grace and forgiveness.  I am just as glad that they are learning to extend it.  Say, does anybody smell sausage burning?