Tetelesta!

“It is finished!”

I have turned another year older today. I went home to Georgia this past weekend for my last final but of course fabulous shower with friends and family. I am so blessed to have such amazing people who love and care for me. Some of them have never even met Blake, others haven’t seen me in years and they all still shower me with gifts and cards and love.

I walked away from my shower so in awe of people and their generosity.

Little did I know, more was to come…

So to give you all some history, I have acquired some debt with my parents. It started about 5 and half years ago when I bought all new furniture. My parents were kind enough to tell me that I didn’t need to worry about a monthly bill to the furniture store that would have some interest and instead they would pay for it and I could pay them back interest free.

So a few thousand dollars later, I had new furniture and a little debt to mom and dad. Flash forward about 2 months later to someone telling me my parked car had been hit. I walk outside on a Saturday morning to find a 16 year old girl crying in front of her wrecked car and my wrecked parked car. It seemed like a good bit of damage but I wasn’t expecting them to tell me my car was totaled!

So now I was out a car that was paid for and stuck with about $5,000 to try to get a new one? My parents again stepped up to the plate and said they would pay the remaining amount left on the used car I wanted and I could add that to my debt.

So my small debt grew to a tad bit larger than I wanted. I made a point to get a receipt book and pay them back as much as I could afford each month. My internal goal was to pay them off completely in 5 years.

Well the 5 year mark is approaching this coming July 4th and unfortunately I still owed them a little over $2,000. I did not want to bring any major debt into the marriage but both Blake and I talked it over and said we wanted to make that our first priority and try to pay them off as soon as we could.

Well as of Sunday morning, June 27, 2010 my debt has been paid in full thanks to my amazing parents! As an early birthday present they presented me with the last little receipt I had sent with last month’s payment and wrote in big letters “TETELESTA!”
It is finished! And the verse from the cross when Jesus spoke those words:

John 19:30 (New International Version)
30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I immediately began crying! For so long I had worked hard to pay them back. My tears were such a mix of joy and grace and relief all in one. I cried because I am no longer had that debt to pay. I cried that my parents had just wiped such a large amount away and I cried thinking about the freedom that comes with this gift.

I was crying over $2,000.

Have I cried over my life!? Have I truly thought about what “Tetelesta” means? Have I spent time reflecting on the words that my Savior spoke for just for me while hanging on that cross 2,000 years ago?

The beauty of our faith is that we don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to pay my Savior back. It is finished! It is done! I don’t have to do anything because of what Christ paid on the cross for me.

Its unreal, amazing, beautiful, painful, easy, hard to accept. It’s GRACE.

I heard this once from a Sunday school teacher. He said that it’s amazing to see Buddha’s last words next to Jesus’ last words.

Buddha said: "All conditioned things are impermanent - strive on with diligence!"
Jesus said: “It is finished!”

One great leader told us to strive on, keep working, doing things…the other great leader, creator of the universe, said the opposite-It is finished!

I am blessed to have such amazing parents who would wipe my debt away. I am blessed and humbled to have such an amazing savior who would do the same for me on the cross!

I may have to frame that last receipt slip-for a few reasons!