Apologies From a Repentant Christian II

God of Mercy, six days ago my husband surprised me with an expensive and lovely cross necklace that I can only presume came from You.

Excited, he couldn’t wait until Mother’s Day to offer his gift. After hours of shopping, LeeRoy had a little help in ruining the surprise when our son, Travis, barreled into the trailer and let slip just how much his dad had spent on the costly gift.

I tried my best to accept his thoughtful present graciously. But as the hours passed, the pricey charm and matching chain began to fill my heart with guilt. So I humbly approached my husband and shared my feelings. "Honey, it's just too expensive. You know me; I’d rather spend the money on purchasing Bibles for others." My husband remained quiet. I could immediately tell that his heart was broken.

Nonetheless the next day my husband drove to the mall to return the cross necklace. Then he drove to the Family Christian store and purchased a gift card. This time when he walked through the door of our trailer his smile was broken, and my husband’s hazel eyes were misty. “Something is terribly wrong.” I thought. "What's wrong honey?" I inquired. "The woman in the store had only been working there I think, less than a week. It was her first return. She looked so disappointed." LeeRoy sadly replied. I hugged my husband and responded, "Don't worry honey, I’ll go to the jewelry store and share my testimony with the woman. She will understand 'why' I couldn't accept such an extravagant gift." I must have sounded so prideful!

Today I drove to the mall with Travis. I had planned to purchase a new cheap dress to wear to an upcoming wedding. However once there I shared my intentions with my son. "I would like to share my testimony with the woman in the jewelry store," I told Travis. Then we walked to where I thought my husband had purchased the necklace.

Right away I was quickly greeted by a saleswoman. "Have you been helped?" She asked. "Oh, I am just waiting to speak to the saleswoman who sold a cross necklace to my husband last week," I responded. "Was there something wrong with it?" She asked. "Oh no," I replied. Then I immediately began to share my testimony with the woman. After I finished the woman said, "Ma'am, I am sorry, but there is no one here that meets the description of the saleswoman you are referring to." Stunned, I called my husband. "Honey, what was the name of the jewelry store where you bought the necklace? And, could you describe the saleswoman who sold the necklace to you?" My husband provided the same store name and description of the saleswoman.

Meanwhile my son was talking in my other ear and adamantly saying, "It was this store Mom. We stood right over there!" Then, he pointed across the glass counter to the other side of the store. For a moment, it felt like time had completely stopped while everyone in the store, now listening in on the story, began to ask, “Who sold the charm necklace to my husband?”

I was still trying to understand the mind-boggling situation, when the woman I had shared my testimony with softly spoke up and said