by Sam Drew

I was looking through some blogs on spiritual formation the other day and I came across the quote – “God grades on a cross, not on a curve.”  It caught my attention because both of my sons, as well as many others that I know, are in the throes of final papers and exams.

Grades are often a difficult thing for people.  It seems that so much of who we are, who we can be, what we know, and what we will be allowed to do is so concisely, mercilessly measure by a few letters or numbers on a piece of paper.  And we work so hard for those letters and numbers, or we berate ourselves for not working hard enough. 

It is a breath of fresh air and freedom to come to Jesus -- to be welcomed, accepted, received and loved by Him.  The pressure’s off.  It’s not about what we accomplish or don’t accomplish, it’s about what He accomplished.  It’s not about how we measure up, but how He measured up.  In Jesus it’s not all about our performance, it’s all about his love for us, and his work for us.

But, then there is another, deeper, more organic pressure – a pressure to love Him back. There’s a pressure, if allow ourselves to feel it, toward Jesus and His lordship in our lives.  Jesus’ cross isn’t only one mentioned in scripture, ours is as well.  Submission to Him requires far more from us than any grade ever could.  We can’t cram for it.  It doesn’t have a due date when it will be done.  It’s the life that we live and our lives that we give.

I guess I do thank God for grades and the curves and what they pressured me to learn and become, but I thank him much more for the cross and what his mercy and grace creates in me and calls me to be.