The Cost of Things

I'm writing this post from my "new" laptop. When I say "new", I really mean "new" to me. It's actually about 7 years old, certainly not a top of the line machine. I've been carrying it around for four years, hoping to get it fixed. Four years ago the screen kept going in and out. I was told by people who fixed these things that it would take about $200 to fix it - parts and labor. The culprit was a part called the video inverter.

I don't know why I've kept this machine, but I did. Over the holidays I decided to go out on a lark and do some research. I found a site that showed me how to take the screen off and replace the inverter. I found the part on eBay for only $18 + $12 shipping from Hong Kong. The part came yesterday. I fixed it myself for only $30. Much better than $200. Today I went out and bought a wireless card so I could surf from my couch and not be tethered to the router.

It's always nice to fix things yourself. Most of the time you save money. It may take you longer, but there is also a sense of accomplishment by doing it yourself. Of course, that may be a guy thing, I don't know. Any women readers out there can let me know.

Of course, not everything can be fixed by yourself, usually because you do not have the tools or the expertise. The sin that marks our lives from the day we are born is just such a thing. No matter how hard I try, I can never fix the broken relationship that exists between God and me. I cannot earn my way into heaven. I cannot pay for the sin that causes the rift to exist.

That's why I have to depend on God's grace. It is his grace that sent his son Jesus to us. It is his grace that gave his son's life for us when we were undeserving of it. It is only through his sacrificial death of a perfect sinless life that atonement can be made. That is the high cost of salvation. That's a deal that will never be found on eBay