Last year on Good Friday my friend’s young adult son, Stewie*, was working from home with the afternoon free. Stewie and my son spent many a summer together providing lots of laughs with their antics, so I wasn’t too surprised by his recent escapade. As my friend tells the story,
Within 30 minutes, he is bored (such a guy thing). Anyway, he decides to peruse his father’s closet to see if there is anything of interest. Several years back, Peter* was made a deputy sheriff in Alabama (long story—it’s an Aflac thing). Anyway, they gave him all the equipment including handcuffs. So now you know where this is going. Stewie decides that he will give them a try. He ends up getting the lock jammed in the keyhole and walked around the house for an hour or so asking everyone if they could try to get him out. No luck. So guess who has to drive him to the fire station to have them cut off? Stewie called the station in advance, and we were met at the fire station by a deputy sheriff who wanted to ensure that Stewie hadn’t escaped from somewhere. They run his name through the system, and he is cleared. The fire department (all of whom are roaring) then uses an electric saw to cut them off. They stuck a spoon under the handcuffs so they wouldn’t cut his arm. Good Friday in the middle of a pandemic……you can’t make this stuff up.
Even though I found the story hilarious, the reason I saved and share her story is because I thought it was a perfect way to commemorate Good Friday. After all, it reflects exactly what Christ did for us on that dark day. His death on the cross broke the chains of our sin, liberating us from condemnation.
I can so relate to her closing statement, “you can’t make this stuff up.” I have the same thought every time I read the Bible. If anyone chose to write a salvation story, it definitely wouldn’t be one where the hero is betrayed, humiliated, tortured and executed. But in God’s upside-down kingdom, that is exactly how He authored it, and Hollywood has been plagiarizing His work forever, using the underdog to eventually rise up and save the day. It’s a winning script that only God could create.
One last comment. I’m certain I’ve provided God many chuckles, and probably more tears, with my antics over the years. And if Christ chose to run my name through the ‘system,’ I definitely would not be eligible for release. It is only through His grace that I can sing along with Chris Tomlin:
My chains are gone, I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love
Amazing grace
What kind of chains are keeping you prisoner? Will you choose to lay them down before the Lord during Holy Week accepting His sacrifice on your behalf?
Choose wisely!
*All names have been changed to protect the innocent.