Right after Christmas, my husband flew to Arizona to take a three-week course. We almost never go across the line without first purchasing additional medical insurance. However, because of the holidays, our insurance company was closed prior to Mark’s departure.
I was a bit nervous about purchasing insurance online, but as I had no other options, I completed the transaction, printed off the contract and gave it to Mark; praying silently that I’d done everything right and that it was a legitimate insurance company.
I never gave it another thought, until four days later when I was informed that Mark had been hospitalized and that they were preparing to air-ambulance him back to Canada. After my initial shock subsided, I began worrying about the medical insurance policy. I had purchased the premium coverage, but would it be enough? Were there any loop-holes I had missed?
While I was grateful for an amazing critical incident coordinator from the insurance company who took over handling every detail of Mark’s repatriation to our local hospital, I almost fainted as the bills for this little adventure started stacking up. No words can describe my joy and utter relief when I was reassured that all expenses were covered by our policy. Months later, I am still marveling over that astonishing trade-off. Our $141 insurance policy saved us an $120,000 debt that would have been impossible for us to pay off.
The Bible teaches us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. The Ten Commandments outline stuff God considers falling short of the mark: worshipping anyone or anything other than God, lying, stealing, coveting what doesn’t belong to you, committing adultery or murder, etc. And, while we may congratulate ourselves on not killing anyone, Jesus said if you hate your brother, you’ve already murdered him in your heart and if you look at someone in a lustful way, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart.
I have yet to run into a person who hasn’t lied, stolen, hated or lusted after someone. It is safe to say, we have all sinned. The problem with sin is that, whether great or small, by its very nature it separates us from God. Sin is like a massive debt that is impossible for us to pay off. The bad news is that left unpaid, it will land us in a spiritual pauper’s prison for all eternity. However, the good news is that we can get an assurance policy for that. Really.
In John 5:24, Jesus says, “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and won’t come under judgment but has passed from death into life.”
What a breath-taking and glorious trade-off. That Jesus would trade His perfection for my imperfection. That God so loved the world that He sacrificed His own perfect Son that our sin-debt might be paid in full and the riches of heaven deposited in our account. That we who were on death-row might be given, not only eternal life to come but abundant life here and now. This is the blessed assurance He gives to all who believe.
There are some things we should never leave home without, and God’s blessed assurance is one of them!