Devotional 7-19-12

Matthew 18: 21-22

Technology has taken things in my life and moved them from a leisurely pace to supersonic speeds and sometimes to my complete consternation and vexation.

One of the greatest inventions in my lifetime was the Ticonderoga #2 pencil. Not so much for the pencil end but for the wonderful brownish red device on the opposite end called the eraser.

I know computer keyboards have backspace buttons and delete keys, but to me it is not the same as rubbing a mistake off the page to the point of ripping through the paper product you were writing on. Additionally, you could make the mistake more than once which was a real big deal to someone whose strong suit was not arithmetic or much anything else mathematical.

I remember taking quizzes and tests when you were instructed to use a ball point device or other permanent marker. You want pressure?

I have thought about this too much but whenever I get a chance to speak with a younger person I know (whether they want it or not) that I know some mistakes in life are inevitable. But I encourage them to make their mistakes with a #2 pencil and not a permanent marking device. Tattoo is an art form, but it will sag at some point.

With God’s love and through the gift of Christ’s advocacy we have the universal solvent to cover our “mistakes” large and small. We are commanded by Christ himself to forgive others in multiples of 7 regardless of how much our natural instincts say differently.

Honestly, that seems a lot more practical than even the Ticonderoga #2.

Mike Bowen