Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:13
As busy people, we naturally desire that everything unfolds according to our expectations, but we can learn to make the most out of each missed opportunity. One morning, Natalie drove anxiously to a job interview. Standing at the institution’s gate, she stopped to send a quick message to a friend, asking for prayer for her success.
Suddenly, a young man snatched Natalie’s phone from her hands. As a mother with precious memories with her little children in the device, she instinctively fought back. Soon, she found herself helpless on the ground. Anxious to save her phone, she tried throwing it into the fenced institution, but it did not go far. Immediately, the man seized his opportunity: he took the phone and ran away.
Bystanders saw how the thief had treated Natalie, so they chased him, attempting to retrieve her treasure. Among the people was an off-duty police officer, who helped by taking the thief and Natalie to the police station. On their ride to the station, the thief began weeping and told Natalie of how his family was struggling financially and could not provide food for his family. He concluded by asking for forgiveness.
Natalie had a choice to make: whether to forgive him or not. She told him she had forgiven him and prayed with him. When they arrived at the police station, she asked for his address. The following week, Natalie made a gift basket with her children while she told them about her experience with the young man. Later, Natalie and her children visited the thief's family and gave them the gift basket of necessities. After they spent time with the family, they prayed with them.
Natalie turned this unfortunate event from an opportunity missed to an opportunity gained. She missed her interview, but she gained a soul by forgiving. Often, we think about how badly others treated us instead of how we can react to the situation. Forgiving can be difficult, but if we lay our burdens to the Lord, He will ease our spirits. Matthew 6:14 invites us to forgive others when they sin against us, and our heavenly Father will also forgive us. Natalie's act of kindness shows how forgiveness can break cycles of negativity and create opportunities to share the word of God.
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