“Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 The Living Bible)
The teller that helps me at my bank already has a high rating from me for the customer service she provides. When I have to wait my turn in line, I am hoping that I don’t get anyone else to assist me with my banking transactions. For you see, when it comes to my favorite teller, on a scale of one to ten, I rate her a ten in regard to the manner an efficient way that she deals with customers.
I have to give her a ten in another category too. You read the verse above, like many people have read it before, perhaps, at one time or the other. The bank teller, a Christian, surely must have not just read the verse above, but the bank teller did it! She did just what it says! She revealed the content of the verse in a specific way that involved me.
Let me share the backstory to the last few sentences above. I went to the bank two weeks ago and my favorite teller was not at a window. I had to go to another teller, who was kind, but not at the level of my favorite teller. As I was completing my transaction, my fellow teller came to work at another counter space. Before she got to the space, while still walking, after speaking to me by name, she shared with the other tellers her experience. “I was in Target the other day and I saw Mr. King. I was just calling out his name repeatedly, waving my hands back and forth, and saying “Hi” more than once. Mr. King just kept walking and did not turn my way. People were looking at me like I was crazy.”
If my face can turn red, it probably hit the highest level of red possible, the epitome of red, because I felt so sorry, and almost hypocritical. She knows I pastor a church. So, imagine how I thought that made me look. I apologized in the sincerest tone possible. You would have thought I was standing before the judgment seat of the Lord. I felt so bad that I said that I was going to have to bring her some of the Gatorade Zero drinks I see her drinking. The favorite bank teller said, “You don’t have to do that Mr. King. That’s all right. You were probably focusing on something deeply, or you were in a hurry. I forgive you.” As it said in the verse above, she was gentle, ready to forgive, and she held no grudge. Praise the Lord!
What is the lesson for us? Let me answer in a broader sense, beyond just what the opening verse said, and beyond my incident at store, the one cited above says. Here is the lesson. Read the word, hide it in your heart, and when the opportunity arises, apply that word, live the word! Let be said of you, “She did it!” or “He did it!” Think about the bank teller story, a true account, as well as the biblical counsel, but respond accordingly going forward, please. Be blessed!
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:15-16 English Standard Version)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King
All of us need His GRACE! And, all of us should be givers of His grace, forgiving others and releasing them from the chains of resentment. Thank you for this post Dr. King!
God bless you, Pastor! Have a wonderful weekend and the Lord continues to use you in building His kingdom and sustaining the growth of present believers.