December 05, 2006

Cancelling a Debt

The owners of the Shepherd have yet to pay me for the vet bill, despite their verbal assurances to the contrary, and though I thought that at least the dog was gone, I was mistaken. A week ago, Scout, Tego and I mustered up courage and walked toward our street's dead end, past their house, and lo, the shepherd was there, going berserk in the window. I reassured myself that dogs can't operate door knobs and we soldiered past.

On Saturday I noticed a lot of activity around their house and their parents' house next door - packing up pick-up trucks, people pulling up and driving away - and I realized that they're moving. The Parents have lived in their house since the '70s and have seen the neighborhood through many transitions, and now that it's up swinging, they're moving. I found it odd, but figured maybe they wanted to be closer to the Wal-Mart down south where they both work. I thought the Owners were helping their parents, but that since they were renters, they'd be staying put.

This morning both houses were vacant and empty - save the ridiculous amounts of trash littering the driveways and yards - and when I ran into neighbor Howard on our morning walk, he informed me that the Parents' house is being sold at auction, as they were behind on their mortgage payments. When I consider that they lived there for at least 30 years, I realize that they must have been incredibly leveraged on their property - property that is worth more than four times their original purchase price - and what do they have to show for those 30 years of payments and loans and equity? Nothing.

As we walked back to our tiny little house, I swallowed the fact that I would never be reimbursed. I exhaled and accepted that the $375.42 will be carried on my Visa along with my other debt, and I'll just chip away at it. An then I forgave them. I forgave them for being negligent and irresponsible; for making empty promises and for almost killing the animal I might love a little too much.

Paul wrote in Romans that God accepted us when we were unacceptable; that we are to accept one another as Christ accepted us, as it's the only way to praise Him. To show Him glory. We forgive, because we have been forgiven. To forgive someone is to literally cancel what they owe you; to close the debtor's book and mark the bill as paid. I suppose it's fitting that in this instance that's exactly what I am doing.

People make messes of their lives. They hold on to wrongdoings and they think only of themselves and they get themselves so behind and turned around that they have to abandon their lives, their homes. They have to scatter and run and leave behind what they spent the better part of their lives building.

I could be angry and that anger would be justified. I could still go in front of a magistrate and get a judgment and file a report with animal services, and all of that would be reasonable and within my rights. I could still do all of that. Or I could accept the truth about them. I could forgive them for their errors and walk away, unharmed and in tact, vowing to live a life unruined.

Posted by hannah at 04:30 PM