A few years ago Ben presented me with this lovely mug on my birthday. I loved it so much that I even took it with me to church on Sunday mornings in place of a travel mug.
Ben made this mornings cup of coffee so I'm honestly not sure what I'm consuming, other than caffeine. After such a fun, busy, weekend caffeine is all that matters.
After my sophomore year of college I became the Wellness Educator for the Kent State University, Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC). Along with my WE duties, I also took on some reception work. While I do not enjoy sitting around, I do love the organization and relationships built in an office environment.
*Funny bunny trail: My supervisors name was Ben Cope (great guy, always stole my venison trail bologna when I brought it for lunch, haha). My second week in the office, one of the girls came in and asked how my weekend had gone "Oh, it was very nice" I said, "Ben and I went for sushi and then walked around town for a bit" She looked at me with shock/disgust in her eyes as she said "You know he's married right?? With CHILDREN??" I burst out laughing (which she didn't appreciate) and said "No, no, MY Ben, my husband's name is Ben! Not Ben Cope!!" We both had a good laugh over the mix up. Later on that day, Ben Cope popped his head into my office and, with a huge smirk on his face, said, "Amanda! I hear we had a sushi date over the weekend!"
Forgiveness. No matter who you are, at some point in your life, you will be on both the giving and receiving end of forgiveness.
I'll never forget the night I backed into Ben's car. He loved that car (still does, he's still driving it!!). It was a Wednesday night and the cell group that Phil (Ben's brother from another mother) and I co-hosted had ended. As I backed out to leave I gently bumped Ben's car. I mean, so softly that I almost didn't realize it had happened at all. Ben noticed though (he was headed to his car when it happened) and, while both vehicles were fine, I knocked his front license plate loose. "Didn't you look?" he said "of course I looked!" I answered, getting defensive. "Well, I'll just reattach it later" he said "it's not that bad" - "I'm sorry" I told him, feeling like an idiot and searching his face for indication as to how in trouble I was. "It's OK babe" he replied, pulling me in for a hug, "no big deal." That was the end of it, no bringing it up later to make fun of me in front of our friends. He never mentioned it when he got pulled over for not having his front plate attached. I was forgiven, end of story.
Peter asks Jesus in Matthew 18:21 how many times we are to forgive those who have sinned against us. In Matthew 18:22 Jesus answered,
"I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times"
One day, as I sat at the reception desk, one of our personal trainers came in and started a conversation based around forgiveness. "So let me ask you" he said, "what if someone killed your husband? Would you be able to forgive them?" I sat for a moment, not wanting to miss an opportunity to shine Christ's love and contemplating Matthew 18:22 when I was given some clarity. "I'm sure it would take time" I replied "and even then, one time would not be enough" he sat on what was referred to as "Amanda's Counseling Couch" and asked "what do you mean, one time would not be enough?" I answered "I might be able to walk in forgiveness towards that person for an hour, a day, a year... but at some point I will relive the hurt and anger that he caused in my life, and I will have to choose to forgive him all over again. Forgiveness isn't a one and done deal. We have to walk it out, we have to live it." He seemed satisfied with my response, got up from the couch, and left the office for a few hours.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit alive in me to give the right answers!
"Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Becoming spiteful is such an easy thing to do, even encouraged in some cases. There is power in forgiveness, not just for the one forgiven but, just as much, if not more so, for the one who is forgiving.
"Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, 'cause hate in your heart will consume you too."-Will Smith
Choose to forgive, as many times as you have to.
"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future"- Bernard Meltzer
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