We live in a world where everyone seems to expect and require instant results.  We want solutions; and we want them now.  We want to measure improvement; and we want to measure success.  we look for ways to justify the existence of programs and to justify expenditures, all within a predetermined time frame.  We want measurement standards to tell us if we compare favourably to others.  We are, in business, certainly performance driven; and that does not have to be a bad thing.  In fact, I spent over 20 years of my life measuring and advising clients on their measurements of success.  But lives are not widgets.  What is the measurement standard of your life, whose standard are you using and when do you measure?  Is it the right standard for you?  Is it the right time to measure?  What is the value of your life, or that of your neighbours?

One could argue that when it comes to lives, grace will trump a measurement standard any day.  One definition of grace is that it simply means there is nothing that you can do to make God love you more; and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less.  Often with grace, there is no time limit.  Always with grace, there is always an open door.