A Story of Grace

It started the day before. Joe, a Harbor Hall resident who had been volunteering, was asked to accompany another volunteer on a trip to Holland. His one question was who would be driving the truck… the answer to this question immediately caught Joe off guard. The volunteer driving the truck turned out to be a person whom Joe had stolen from decades before at the age of sixteen.  

Joe went through that evening struggling with what he should do and with very mixed emotions. He had not spoken with this person for 45 years. He had been caught and sentenced to a juvenile home at the time—an event that literally changed his life. To now be reconnected after so long a time filled Joe with uneasiness. Throughout the evening he thought about how to handle this unexpected situation. He even stopped to pray for courage. 

The next day Joe climbed into the truck and after a few miles of small talk, he decided to be honest.   Mentioning his name and the street they both had grown up on, Joe became certain this was indeed his former neighbor whose house he had broken into. Joe shared his own identity and then said he needed to apologize for something.  

Later, in thinking about this moment, Joe shared that he was uncertain how the volunteer would respond. He was somewhat afraid that he would react negatively, perhaps angrily. Instead, what happened was forgiveness and reconciliation. For the volunteer, the wrong that had been done was long-since forgiven and mostly even forgotten. But sad broken moments like this can sit in a soul for a long time, and what Joe experienced was the opportunity to make amends and receive forgiveness. 

Today Joe and this volunteer are truly friends. Years of distance replaced by an unexpected moment on the Love in action truck as grace flowed freely.