Coverage Agreement

The words “warranty” and “guarantee” are very close. They share some linguistic heritage. Right now I’m looking at a warranty document on my truck that is called a “Coverage Agreement”. It makes some (limited!) promises of covering expenses for repairs. Reading the warranty got me to thinking about the value of it. The Coverage Agreement will expire soon and after that it will be worthless. That will happen unless I exercise the warranty--bring my truck back to the dealership and have it tested for needed repairs--before it is too late.

I used to teach voice, piano, and guitar lessons and sometimes I still do. Music is one of the greatest joys of the human spirit and I love to share it. Many years ago I had one young student whose parents were not paying her lesson fees. I kept teaching her piano lessons but they were a couple of months behind with payments. She was not learning well because she was not investing time and energy in practicing at home between lessons. So she was not able to demonstrate much success. When it had to come to an end, her mother said to me, “Well, I guess we still have to pay you; we can’t exactly return the lessons to you!” I agreed. My time and creative energy was already spent. And you can’t get that back. However, I don’t remember ever getting that check.

Free lessons may seem like a good deal. We like things that are free. However, when we invest little or nothing in a project, our benefits are limited as well. With any warranty or promise, the measure you give will be the measure you receive. So the young lady really did not receive much benefit from the lessons that were never paid for because she didn’t do her part. She didn’t invest herself in the practice of what she was learning.

This is true in our faith as well. In God’s great gift of hope in Jesus Christ, there is more amazing grace than we could possibly purchase or pay for. However it was not free. It is offered to us at tremendous cost. That cost has been paid on our behalf but we can’t really appropriate that gift until we invest in it. It is the gift of God through Jesus Christ! But to fully accept that gift we have put it into practice! We need to spend time and energy to learn how to walk with him, to suffer with dignity and hope with him, and to live in confident joyful resurrection with him!

God’s grace is definitely a gift that we cannot earn or pay for. But it is not without cost! And we cannot really appreciate it unless we invest our trust in that grace, follow Jesus, and lead others to follow him too. As we do that, our Coverage Agreement grows and remains effective!

Thanks be to God for the gift of eternal life! Stay connected and practice it!