How Do You Spell Relief?

Psalm 130:3-4 – Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness, that we might learn to fear you. (NLT)

Throw it out! That was my temptation when I went to move my old bread machine from the box to the cupboard in my new kitchen. "You don't have room for it, and the last few times you used it, it didn't work right anyway. Nobody wants rubbery bread." But I decided to try it one more time. The bread turned out beautifully. Great! My success spurred me on.

I decided to make some rolls to go with the stew that I had planned for supper. When the dough was mixed, I placed the covered dough in front of the heater and called my mother for a quick chat. We hadn't talked long when something caught my attention — a noise coming from the kitchen. "Mom, I gotta go!" I ran to the kitchen to investigate. "Ben Nevis!" I screamed at the small white dog with his black nose buried under the tea towel, scoffing my bread dough. One, two, three, four! Ben had eaten four rolls as quick as that. "I don't believe you, dog," I said in disgust. He responded by licking his lips, all the while looking up at me with one ear up and one ear down.

Fifteen minutes later, his tummy started to groan. Off and on throughout the morning, Ben Nevis came to where I was working, looked up at me, and whimpered pitifully. "It serves you right. You shouldn't have eaten my bread dough." I scolded. For some reason I didn't feel sorry for him.

Fortunately, God is more understanding of our mistakes than I was of the one my dog made the morning he ate my bread dough. When we get into things we shouldn't, when we mess up and come whimpering back to Him in pain, God doesn't look at us in disgust. Instead, God loves us, mistakes and all. All we have to do is go to Him and say we are sorry, and God will help us put our lives back in order.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You that we can come to You for forgiveness and that You will hear our prayer. Help us to learn Your ways. Amen.