Bible Reading: Psalm 103:8-14

Nevaeh was almost finished helping Mrs. Burns with her housework. "I need to get to the bank before it closes," Mrs. Burns told her. "Do you think you could finish and lock up when you leave?"

"Sure," said Nevaeh. "No problem." So Mrs. Burns said goodbye and left.

Nevaeh hummed as she dusted, but suddenly--CRASH! She stared in dismay at the pieces of blue glass on the floor. She had accidentally knocked a vase off a table. Oh no! thought Nevaeh as her eyes filled with tears. What will Mrs. Burns think when she gets back? She sighed as she picked up the pieces of broken glass. Before leaving, she wrote a note, telling Mrs. Burns about the broken vase and saying she would pay for a new one.

"You did the right thing," Mom said when she heard what had happened.

That evening, Mrs. Burns called. "Thanks for leaving the note," she said, "but don't worry about paying for the vase. I'll never miss it!" Nevaeh felt much better, but she still wasn't looking forward to seeing Mrs. Burns at church on Sunday.

Sunday arrived, and Nevaeh nervously approached Mrs. Burns. "You're sure I don't owe you anything?" asked Nevaeh. "For the vase I broke?"

"The vase? Oh, right--the vase." Mrs. Burns shook her head and smiled. "I had forgotten about it. You should forget it too." She patted Nevaeh's arm. "Can you come and help me on Friday? I'm having guests next weekend and could use some help."

Back home, Nevaeh told Mom what Mrs. Burns had said. "It took her a minute to realize what I was talking about," said Nevaeh. "I think she really had forgotten all about it. And she wants me to work for her again on Friday!"

Mom smiled. "The vase may have been valuable--who knows? But Mrs. Burns forgave you for breaking it, and perhaps she made a decision not to remember. So she forgot about it. That's a good example of the way God forgives us for our sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for the wrong things we've done, and when we confess our sin to Him, He forgives it and will never bring it up again! We can accept His forgiveness and go on serving Him."

–Karen R. Locklear