I remember a month where I’d made a number of purchases on my credit card.  I had the cash to pay it off – I was just using the credit card to earn points.  But I went and paid the wrong credit card, and didn’t notice until it was too late.  The entire amount was now past due, and accruing interest, while the other credit card was now paid off for months, and the money was no longer in my account to pay the balance actually owing.

Felt sick to my stomach, what have I done?

I knew it was my mistake; I selected the wrong card in my online banking site.

But I called the bank anyway, and told them my story.  They said they couldn’t’ do anything.  They money was gone to the credit card company.

So I called the credit card company.  After telling my story, they did some research, and found they could transfer from one card to another.  They even said they would forgive the interest charges!

I felt this incredible relief.  I’d made a costly mistake, but now I was forgiven.  I was extra nice to the person at the call center, since they’d done me this huge favour.  If there was any way, I’d probably have shaken their hand, bought them lunch, given some tangible expression of my thanks, but of course I couldn’t.

Question: When have you been forgiven for something?  How did you react, and was it in proportion to the debt you owed?

Meeting with a Group?  Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide

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