Broken Spoon Sorrow


The other night I was cleaning up the kitchen with Lina. She went outside to close up the grill and I continued to wash and dry the plates, pots, and the utensils. In the interim when Lina was outside, I cracked a large red Betty Crocker plastic spoon (see item on left). The clock ticked slowly...

When she returned, I confessed my carelessness and expressed my sorrow. As of a couple of years ago, I might have said something along the lines of, "It is just a spoon" or "I didn't mean it" or something else less than sympathetic.

Instead, I said "I am sorry" and I meant it. There can often be a strategic and tactical reason to apologize even if we don't mean it, but better in God's eyes to not pretend. Jesus was harsh on hypocrites. Best to be truly sorry.

The spoon has been with Lina for over 13 years when she was 24, living in Minneapolis, and working for General Mills...all things I did not know until the spoon was broken. As such, the spoon was a symbol of a cherished time in her life. It is right for me to be sorry and sad because of my carelessness. If I had been dismissive, I would deserve to be out in the doghouse (I would have to go find one to crawl into).

Kind of like when a Timex watch, probably worth $ 25 had been stolen from my apartment in Lancaster city. You see, the watch was a commemoration of winning the Greater Philadelphia Basketball Championship as a coach at Glen Mills Schools. Basketball, for me, is a painful subject because of my knee injury. The watch was redemption of sorts on the court of disappointment. When the thief took my watch, little did he know or care that it had a worth far greater than its cost.

Mark Batterson, in a sermon recently, said that he wants his kids to learn three things in life. Say "Please," "Thank-You," and "I'm Sorry." That is what God wants us to learn, too.

Now, I need to find another spoon.






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