8 Jul
An Unpleasant Reunion
August 31, 2007. The day I look forward to all summer: the last day of my summer job. While driving home, I suddenly realized that in my haste I had neglected to pick up my insulated lunch bag from the refrigerator. The thought of going back to get it briefly occurred to me, but I dismissed the idea and continued on my way. I assumed I would never see that bag again. I was wrong.
Late June, 2008. The town hired me back for a third summer, due I am sure to the labor shortage, not my impressive skills with a landscaping rake. After a particularly grueling morning of trying to figure out the difference between a Robinson and a Phillips screwdriver (why can’t they just call them “The Square One” and “The Star One”? Life is too complicated.), I finally arrived in the lunch room. As I opened the refrigerator, a grey lunch bag on the top shelf caught my eye. It looked vaguely, eerily familiar. It was my old lunch bag! Like being reunited with a long lost friend, I eagerly ripped the bag open, but the smile on my face evaporated when I discovered the bag was not empty. Something was inside it! In horror I peered within to find a plastic container with mysterious contents. Although it now looked like chocolate cookie dough, I vaguely recalled that it was once hamburger casserole. My supervisor gave me a look that said, “You really shouldn’t, but I am just as curious as you are.” I summoned up my courage and yanked off the lid! The sudden combustion of lethal fumes exploded into the atmosphere. I heard the silent screams in my head as the lives of thousands of (apparently unused) brain cells were ruthlessly cut short. Lights danced before my eyes. I swayed and stumbled to the nearest chair. My supervisor (who apparently had forgotten his earlier encouragement) gave me some sage advice that day: “Mike, throw that bag away!”
It is not easy to forgive people. It is much easier to get angry, bottle things up inside or even end a relationship. However, I’ve found the longer I refuse to address a problem, the worse it gets. I may push it into the corner of my heart and try to forget, but it sits there and festers until one day I realize its stench has leaked into other areas of my life. When Jesus prayed the model prayer, He said: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). Jesus knew we could not enjoy God’s forgiveness if we refused to forgive others. We can try and overlook our need to forgive someone but the odor of unforgiveness will only grow worse until we can’t ignore it any longer.
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Filed in: Forgiveness, Humility, Temptation
About the Author
Mike Blackaby is a 22 year old student who plays guitar in a rock band, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.
Read more about Mike here.
