Seventy-seven

by Ryan Krzykowski

Working with teens is part of my calling.  As much as I possibly can, I know I’m supposed to be doing this.  At the same time, living out my calling doesn’t guarantee things always go perfectly, or even all that well.  As a matter of fact, there’s one 16-year old that I’ve been coaching who has been wearing me out.  He’s an awesome kid and does great with about 95% of what I give him to do.  But he’s also got some habits that I have a hard time with.  Our personalities do not always mesh well, and I can be easily irritated by him.  And sometimes, he flat out fails to do what I ask.  I have an especially tough time with that one.

The other day I was reading in Matthew 18, and Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive someone.  Wanting to seem super-spiritual, Peter suggests forgiving seven times, likely figuring that Jesus would say something like, “Wow, seven, that’s a bit much.  Three or four times is plenty.”  Instead, Jesus suggests forgiving 77 times (or 70 times 7, depending on the translation).  Either way, Jesus makes that point that we don’t stop, we keep forgiving if we’re working to be what God wants us to be.  Jesus then goes on to tell a parable about a king who forgave a debtor an impossible amount, while the same debtor then turned around and angrily refused to forgive a peer who owed him a very small amount.  It was really hard not to see myself in that story, which I suppose is kind of the point.  The idea that landed squarely for me was that while my annoying young friend definitely needs to be coached, guided, instructed, mentored and loved, he also needs to understand that he isn’t a burden.  That no matter how much he behaves in a way that requires something of me, no matter how much I want him to grow and change, there’s a level of patience and understanding I ought to have as we journey together.  God is certainly patient and understanding with me, and I am grateful for the reminder.

Let’s Coach With Purpose…