Redo Conspiracy

Have you ever needed a redo? Some days, before I get the kid out of the house, I need to rewind the morning and start it all over for everyone. We have a house full of people who are not morning people.

You may have a relationship or friendship that needs a refresh. It’s never too late as long as you and the other person are still alive. Some relationships have too much hurt and harm to be able to be friendships, but not all.

A powerful story in chapter 4 of Messy Spirituality tells of a little boy at his Little League game. The entire family was there to watch: mother, father, grandparents, uncles, and aunts. It was a close game. He was the last up to bat and stiles out, losing the game. The little boy was so upset that he just stood at home plate and didn’t move as the winning team celebrated; his team walked away devastated. At that moment, his family stepped onto the field and replayed the end of the game so that he would have a redo. There was a stranger in the crowd watching the event go down.

“One person who was watching this amazing event commented to a friend, ‘I watched a little boy fall victim to a conspiracy of grace!’” (Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli. p. 92)

In essence, this happens every time we make a point to redeem a relationship with another person. By this point in these devotions, I’ve made it clear that Christ does this for us, but there’s something about us helping redeem relationships with other people.

People don’t know how to be in good relationships anymore. This passage in Jeremiah often refers to God’s shaping and molding of us. Think on it for a moment regarding us reshaping our relationships as people sent by God:

“So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.” –Jeremiah 18:3-4 NLT

What if we made a point to see every person we come in contact with as an opportunity for a conspiracy of grace? Instead of leaving them devastated at home, we can redo their bad relationship experiences with other Christians and introduce them to Christians who care.