Recently I made an error in judgment and made a decision that negatively impacted another staff member with the event she was organizing. Of course, I didn’t do it intentionally and wasn’t really thinking about the implications of what I decided. But harm was done, nonetheless. She confronted me about the decision and its negative implications for her, her team, and the event – as she absolutely should have. Realizing what I had done, I apologized for my mistake and the trouble it had caused her. Thankfully her response was very gracious and kind, and we were able to move forward positively and put that behind us.
I’ve been thinking about that interaction in the context of our theme for this school year “Love First” based on Romans 5:8. Certainly things could have gone very differently. She could have used my mistake as a way to take advantage and leverage my poor decision in a power play. She could have held on to the hurt and withdrawn from our normally strong working relationship. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the spirit of 1 Peter 4:8 won out: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” I feel very fortunate to work in a place where mistakes and errors in judgment don’t condemn or hopelessly impair relationships. Instead, the love of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ for each other conquers and transcends sins like thoughtlessness, poor judgment, or hurtful words. Love in the name of Jesus comes first and always wins as it covers and extinguishes our human frailties and mistakes. Praise God we have a Savior whose grace and mercy makes all that possible!