“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
— Psalm 84:11
It was a beautiful summer day, and Dakota was outside playing baseball with some of the boys in the neighborhood. Her dad had asked her not to play in the street, but there wasn’t a lot of traffic this time of day, so she decided it was ok.
Mick was pitching, and Dakota knew he’d give her his fastest ball. Taking a firm grip on the bat, she waited. Sure enough, there it came — a little low, but right over the plate.
Dakota swung and connected. A fly popped off to the right. Then C-R-A-A-A-S-S-H! The sound of broken glass shattered the air.
Dakota looked around and felt sick. Sure enough, it was Mrs. O’Rourke’s window.
One moment everyone stared at the house. The next instant every kid scattered in a different direction. Every kid, that is, except Dakota. Everything within her wanted to run. At the same time, something held her there. Finally, Dakota crossed the street, her feet dragging. Dreading what she was about to do, Dakota climbed the steps and rang the bell.
“I’m sorry,” she said when Mrs. O’Rourke answered the door. She wanted to blame the other kids and say that it wasn’t her fault. But only four words came out. “I broke your window.”
“I know.” Mrs. O’Rourke surprised her. “Just before the ball hit, I saw you out another window.”
Full of misery, Dakota apologized again.
“I forgive you,” Mrs. O’Rourke answered quietly. “I respect you for coming to talk with me. I know that was hard to do.”
Suddenly Dakota’s gaze found the older woman’s eyes. Something Dakota saw there drew her to Mrs. O’Rourke. Why have I always thought she’s crabby?
Aloud she asked, “What can I do to pay for the window?”
Mrs. O’Rourke swung the screen door farther open. “Why don’t you come in? We’ll talk about it.”
Dakota drew a deep breath. For some strange reason, she almost felt as if she had a new friend.
More to Explore: Philippians 1:27
Girl Talk: Can you think of a time when you did something wrong but made the right choice? What helped you do that?
God Talk: “God, thank you that you always forgive me when I mess up. Please give me the courage to confess my mistakes to other people as well. I love you. Amen.”
From Girl Talk by Lois Walfrid Johnson