Add the grace notes

I still haven’t forgotten it. A pimped-up hearse?

I was driving to church on a Wednesday night when it pulled up beside me. Velvet curtains on the inside. A visible beige casket. Nothing extraordinary.

But when it took the lead, I read the bumper sticker: “The Tattooed Lady.” What? Was that appropriate?

I pulled beside it when I saw there was a side insignia. What funeral home would allow advertising like that? I wanted to know.

I checked out the driver. A young guy. Casually dressed.

I finally read the paneled door:  “Zombie Sighting Rescue Unit. ”

Or something like that. Then I remembered the date. October 27. Halloween was around the corner.

Instead of giving the guy a glaring look, I cut him some slack. I laughed. (But still prayed for him too.) Yes, his choice of vehicles was weird.

But it was also distinct. It was memorable. It made an impression.

Shouldn’t we be able to say the same about grace? Isn’t it unique? Impressive? Unforgettable?

Grace adds that extra touch that gets your attention. As Philip Yancey describes it in What’s So Amazing about Grace?:

  ...A composer may add grace notes to the score. Though not essential to the melody—they are gratuitous—these notes add a flourish whose presence would be missed.

When I first attempt a piano sonata by Beethoven or Schubert I play it through a few times without the grace notes. The sonata carries along, but oh what a difference it makes when I am able to add in the grace notes, which season the piece like savory spices.

I’m not a composer but when I beefed up a 4-part harmony song to play on the piano, I added my own version of grace notes. They weren’t crucial to the tune, but they make a huge quality difference when I strike the extra keys.

I want to add grace notes to my relationships. To be an extra flourish of kindness in my family’s life. An embellishment of encouragement to a friend who is struggling. A sweet spot of mercy to one who has fallen.

No, I don’t want to be a pimped-up hearse. But I do want to show enough distinctive Christian grace that others want to draw closer to see whose insignia I ride under. To see that it’s God behind anything good. To know that the special touches are for a reason.       

To show off his grace. It’s how he rides.

And once you’ve seen his grace, really seen it, you won’t forget it.

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How can you give grace to someone today?