Forgive us our debts

When I was eight and my older sister was ten, we had to live in an apartment for a summer. I think we lived on the 17th floor. Whatever the floor was, it was really high up. And it was boring. Sooooo borrrriinnnnng. There was very little to do and nothing to do it with. We tried to entertain ourselves but it was very very hard.

Anyway, one day, the Queen was coming to town. (Really, she was...not just a tall tale here folks). My mom said we could go and be a part of the crowd. Great excitement. We'd never been that close to royalty before. My sister and I were ready first, and ran down the hall to call for the elevator. That's about as exciting as our lives got that summer. Who would be there first to press the button?

The elevator came. My mom and my other sister didn't. So we pressed the "ON" button to make the elevator wait. Then I did something really stupid. As we sat there waiting for the rest of the family, I pressed all the buttons from 17 down to 1.

Then I got scared. I asked in a small - O-boy-I'm-in-for-it-now voice "Do you think it will stop at all the floors?" My sister did what she always does when I get scared. She made up an answer to make me feel better. "No," she said, "I think if you press the button you REALLY want, it will cancel out the other ones".

And although the answer made me feel better, and I pressed "#1" again and again, it didn't work. The elevator stopped at every floor.

My mom and older sister didn't catch on until the 15th floor. That was after the older English gentleman and his wife got on. They were going to see the queen too. The elevator stopped at the 14th floor. The door opened. No one got on. The door shut. It stopped at the 12th floor. The door opened. No one got on. The door shut. At about the 11th floor, when the door opened and no one got on, I had to confess my sin. We continued to stop at every floor. Thirty seconds is a very long time when the door opens, and no one gets on and then it shuts. Especially when your family is in a hurry. Especially when the queen isn't going to wait for late-comers. Especially when you are in a crowded elevator with a dignified Englishman. Especially when you are eight years old and are sure you're going to pay heavily for it.

When we finally arrived at the first floor, I was wishing that I could just stay on the elevator and hide from the embarrassment.

I bet you could make a lot of money if you could invent an eraser button. Say something stupid? No problem. Just press the button and it will erase that comment and say the other one that wasn't so cutting. Eat two cinnamon buns and feel disgusting? Don't let it mess with your head. Just press the button and you will find an apple in your hand (or stomach) instead. Wish you hadn't pressed the snooze button one more time? Just press the eraser button and bingo, presto! The alarm is just going off for the first time.

I know, I know. The reality is that the elevator stops at every floor. There's no taking back an uncalled for comment, or a bad dietary decision. You can't suddenly fool your boss into believing that it was the alarm clock's fault.

Thinking back on that day, I remember my mother's reaction going from disbelief to being ticked off (just a little), and then remembering that the little sinner was only eight years old. She made me get off the elevator, and in the end, we got to the park just in time to see the Queen. And we have a picture to prove it.

Psalm 103 : 8 -14 talks about God's ability to press the button we should have pressed. It's called Grace.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

So if you have done, or said something stupid lately, you can take heart. God knows the elevator is going to stop at every floor. But He loves you anyway, you little sinner. Just don't forget to get off the elevator so you can enjoy the royal visit!