BIBLE PICK EMS - Accident Forgiveness

Weren't we all teenagers at some point in our lives?

Notice I'm not asking how long ago that was!

Did you ever do anything you felt REALLY bad about?

(OK, I better see every hand raised out there in Blog Land!!)

I can recall one incident so vividly, it’s like it happened last week.

My dad and uncle owned a business in Pasadena. And at some point in time, they decided that it was a good idea to lease two company cars – two brand-new 1970 Pontiac Firebirds. I'm pretty sure that this was my "hot shot" uncle's idea!

My dad's car was awesome!

One night, I needed to borrow a car to go to a church party. OK, I'm 16, the ink is barely dry on my driver's license, and my dad lets me use HIS car. He actually offered it to me!

I know!! Honestly, what was he thinking?!

After picking my jaw up off the floor, I graciously accepted…

"OK, Dad, if you insist."

I went to the party, and when it was over, a bunch of my friends and I thought it would be cool to drive over and see a boy that I had a secret crush on – because I was behind the wheel of a radically "hot" car.

We thought this was a great idea, because nothing screams "GOOD DECISION" like a car full of 16-year-old girls!

Anyway, we got to talking, got to flirting, and time ran away. When I finally headed home, my 11:00 PM curfew had disappeared in a teenage fog of…

Oh, he's so cute!

Do you think he likes me?

How's my hair look?

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

OK, so now it’s like 1:00 in the morning, it's pouring rain, and I have to park the car in the garage. Our driveway was very steep, and Dad parked his car on the right-hand side of the garage, so you had to make kind of a sharp turn at the top of the driveway, just past a retaining wall.

You KNOW what's coming, don't you?

Yes, I made that turn, just a LITTLE early, and heard the most awful sound as "brand-new" Firebird met concrete block wall. Man, it still hurts today.

I tried backing up…SCRAPE.

I tried going forward…SCRAPE.

The car was sorta stuck on the wall.

In a panic, I finally just gunned the engine and the car leapt forward, almost piling into the corner of the garage. I got the car parked, and looked at it. There was a huge dent, and massive scratches right through the paint, all along the whole side of the car. OH MAN! I quietly entered the house so I wouldn’t disturb anyone's sleep…

OK, OK, yes…I was trying to sneak in! You guys are awful strict!

I was almost to my bedroom when I noticed my mom sitting alone in the dark, shivering with fever and chills, sicker than a dog with the flu, waiting up for me.

I didn't sleep much that night.

The next morning I got up early, bringing all $200 in my savings account, to confess to my dad what I had done to his car. He told me to keep my money – he would "take care of it." My dad didn't get mad, he didn't punish me – He forgave me.

Jesus told His disciples a similar principle about forgiveness, and it's found in today's "Bible Pick 'Ems":

"If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks for forgiveness, you must forgive." (Luke 17:3-4)

Jesus took forgiveness very seriously – it was His whole mission on earth.

Can we do any less?

"…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." (Matthew 6:12)

"'Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?'

'No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!'"

(Matthew 18:21-22)

"When in doubt, search God out!"