The lost bracelet
Once again guest blogger Linda-Rose Michel, our volunteer from Michigan, writes about her experiences in England and the life lessons she learns.
A lost bracelet
I messed up.
It was a romantic night on the beach in Cornwall. Friends were soaking up the sun, kids were playing, and BBQ’s were firing up. I didn’t think it could be any more perfect, until my boyfriend came for a visit. He’d been away at a festival and brought back a beautifully handmade bracelet. It was made by a children’s choir from Africa that were trying to raise funds and he picked it out especially for me.
It was a treasure.
I quickly asked him to help me put it on, and was determined not to take it off for the rest of the holiday. The very next day, it was gone. I was absolutely baffled as to what had happened to it, and after several hours of investigating and searching, I realised it was it was never going to be found.
I couldn’t believe it.
In less than 24 hours I had managed to lose such a beautiful gift, and I had no explanation of how it happened. Did it slip off while I was sleeping during our travels? Had it fallen out of the car when we stopped to stretch our legs? Had it caught in my clothing? I felt horrible. I kept thinking about how much trouble my boyfriend had gone through to pick out the bracelet and how he had chosen it especially for me. I kept thinking about how he had spent money on this gift and how I had wasted it. I kept thinking about how it hadn’t even been a full day since he’d given it to me, how I had already ruined his special gesture, and how horrible that must make him feel.
I swallowed my pride, and told him what happened. Instead of being angry with me, he comforted me, encouraged me, and was understanding. I felt like he handled it with so much more grace and forgiveness than I deserved. I thought to myself, surely he will think twice before getting me anything now after such a disappointment. I almost felt like I even should discourage him from getting anything of me, less I ruin it again, but he did not share my views.
Several weeks after this incident a package arrived at my door. I had no idea what it could be, as I wasn’t expecting any deliveries. It wasn’t until I opened the package, did I realise who it was from. Inside, was a beautiful gift: a replacement bracelet for the one I had lost and, in addition, a matching necklace.
I was in a state of complete disbelief.
He hadn’t only replaced what I lost, but instead had given me even more than the first time. I felt humbled, thankful, blessed, and incredibly happy to have someone who was so determined to show how much he cared.
This experience immediately made me think about how God shows his love. So often, people mess up. It happens. He has so many beautiful gifts that he tries to give us,( joy, love, family, forgiveness) and sometimes we waste them! The beautiful thing is, when it happens God doesn’t hold a grudge. He encourages us, comforts us, and is understanding. He says “Look, I love you no matter what. I want you to have so much more than you think you deserve in life”. He replaces the gifts we’ve lost, wasted, or ruined and takes it a step further by adding “ a matching necklace”. All you have to do is accept them.
