“Forgive others because you love the Lord." ~ Matthew
6:14
The
search had taken weeks to find the perfect ‘Y’ for his slingshot handle. Every tree, shrub and bush had been carefully
examined. Tommy had finally selected an
elderberry bush for the ‘crotch’ of his homemade weapon. Some surgical tubing, a leather pouch to hold
ammunition, a little practice and he was ready.
He’d
gotten up early as usual to do his paper route.
After a quick Pop-Tart and a glass of chocolate milk, Tommy’s
agenda had no further purpose other than to launch small stones at the pigeons
perched atop Mrs. Winslow’s roof. Must
have been a great view he thought, because after the pesky birds scattered,
they always returned to their same roost.
At
the sound of fractured glass, he ran from the yard at warp speed, too scared
about getting caught to concern himself with Mrs. Winslow’s broken porch
window. Boy was he gonna get throttled by his Dad.
His
‘crime’ yet unsolved, Tommy started to feel guilty for her misfortune. Mrs. Winslow, a loyal customer, still greeted
him with a smile each day when he delivered her newspaper. He was no longer able to relax in her
presence; the shame was killing him! So
after weeks of saving his paper delivery money, Tommy finally had the $7 needed
to replace her window.
He
placed the money in an envelope with a note explaining how sorry he was for breaking
her glass and hoped that the money would cover the repair costs. He waited until dark, snuck up to Mrs.
Winslow’s house and put the envelope through the letter slot in her door. Tommy felt a rush of adrenalin flood through
him knowing he’d done the right thing.
His soul redeemed, he couldn’t wait for the freedom to once again, look
straight into the old woman’s eyes.
The
next day, he joyfully returned the warm smile she offered when he delivered her
newspaper. "Here,” she said. “I’d like you to have these."
It
was a bag of cookies. After thanking
her, Tommy proceeded to eat the cookies as he continued on his route. As he reached for the last of her tasty
treats, Tommy felt an envelope . . . and pulled it from the bag. Its contents left him speechless – seven one
dollar bills and a short note that read, "I'm proud of you!"
Everybody makes mistakes, but only few realize, accept and
make amends for them. Accept an apology
graciously and without conditions. Respect their sincerity – it’s not easy to
apologize. Then most importantly – MOVE
ON!
Dear God, thanks for sending Jesus to die on
the cross so that I’m forgiven when I mess up. Please help me to forgive other people ‘cause
that’s not always easy and I’m not very good at it. ~ Tommy
