A Grace that Redeems

It’s been quite some time since I visited a pawn shop. Years ago I was looking for a guitar and several people suggested I might want to see what might be available in the local pawn shops. Almost every one had at least one guitar among all the other appliances, car stereos, and obsolete computers; but the stores were depressing.

When someone needs cash to take care of some pressing obligation, a pawn shop is a place where they can take an item they own and leave it as collateral for a short-term loan. The pawnbroker bases the amount of money he will loan to the customer based on how much he might get for it if the person is unable or unwilling to repay the loan. That means a guitar that may have originally sold for around $3,000 might secure a loan for $800 to $1,000.

Now if the person pawning their guitar isn’t able to repay the loan, the pawnbroker can sell it for $1,500 to $1,800 and make a pretty nice profit—and it would be a sweet deal for the person who was hoping to buy a quality instrument. Still, there is something about profiting from another person’s misfortune that just doesn’t sit right with me.

And looking around the pawn shop—in and among the used DVD’s, worn power tools, and first-generation video games—you spot a few real treasures. There’s a vintage ring that belonged to someone’s grandmother. Here’s a silver chest that was handed done several times. A porcelain statue someone carefully brought back with them from a once-in-a-lifetime journey sits on a shelf crowded cheap knickknacks.

Of course, the person who hocked that “treasure” knew what they were doing. They freely entered into the contract with the pawnbroker. Still, there’s a part of me that would like to be able to reunite some people with their “treasure”—that would love to hear them play sweet music again.

I imagine that is the way God feels when he sees one of his children who have “sold” themselves. The good news is that Christ came to pay the price to buy you back—no matter how deep your debt. You’ve been redeemed! Let that good news shape your new life in Christ!