From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” John 1:16
I wish I hadn’t—but I did. Buyer’s remorse. The official definition is, “a feeling of regret experienced after making a purchase, typically one regarded as unnecessary or extravagant.” I guess most of us have experienced it at one time or another. Sometimes it is a minor deal. You buy something from Walmart, get home, think about it and decide you really didn’t need it. So, thanks to Walmart’s generous return policy, you lay it aside and the next time you are at the store, you simply return it. No harm, no foul.
Then sometimes it isn’t quite the easy. You are at the grocery store and your “you need to watch your diet” wife is out of town. Smile. So, as you wind your way through the various aisles of calorie rich delights, you find yourself on the cookie aisle. The packages are calling your name and you say, “Why not?” Because you can’t decide, you buy two and since your “you need to watch your diet” wife is not around, you eat both. As the last cookie of package number two slips past your lips, you realize you probably shouldn’t have bought two, or maybe even one, and you have a sense of remorse…diet remorse and buyer’s remorse. Still, no big deal. You wait 24 hours and don’t have a heart attack and hide the packages deep in the trash. No harm, no foul.
There are times when the fix is reclusive, and the consequences are bigger than an expanded waistline. Twice, not once, I have bought new cars that I later regretted. You know, you visit the lot, you see the car, you smell the car, you buy the car. You feel important driving it and watch as people watch you driving it. And then it happens. A couple of payments down the road of too much debt and not enough payday, you get it. Major, big time buyer’s remorse. And this time, there is not a Walmart return policy, and the ouch is bigger than you ever imagined. This time…well, it is certainly not “no harm, no foul.”
Yup, most of us have slipped on that banana peel. The important thing is to learn. Now, I have learned about the car thing…at least I think I have but the cookie thing…well, that is still a work in progress. Smile. And judging from the past, it might be a long, long road. You might be wondering, “Is there anyone who hasn’t experienced buyer’s remorse?” The answer is yes and the who might surprise you. That Who is God.
I’ve always been amazed with God. He is so generous, so loving, and so kind. He always goes the extra mile to show me that He is for me and not against me. His patience with this slower learner causes me to wonder how He could not regret loving me. But here is the deal…and don’t miss this. God loved me enough to send His Son to a rugged, cruel cross to pay the payment for my sin. I didn’t deserve it and honestly no one does. But it gets better. He did that knowing that I wouldn’t always get it right. He did it knowing I would often get it wrong. But it gets better.
Here it is. Not once in the past, no once today, not once tomorrow, not once for the zillion years of eternity yet to come will He ever have buyer’s remorse. He made the deal and not once regretted making it. How is that even possible? How is that even conceivable? Well, the answer is that God not only loves me, He also loves us. Perfectly. In other words, He loves us looking through the lens of His perfect Son. Instead of seeing warts, He sees us whole and perfect. Oh, not that we are, not that we ever will be…at least here. No, it’s all because of His grace and His Son and His sacrifice for us.
So, today, be careful as you cruise the aisles of Walmart…and life. You might want to avoid the cookie aisle and ice cream freezers of life…things that tend to lead to regret and consequences. But by all means, be sure and linger in the grace aisle and take in the wonder of it all. As you look at all the packages of love and love notes from the One who loves you most, remember what John wrote, “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” And if you do happen to slip up, don’t worry. He won’t change His mind about you. After all, “He’s got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 