Being crucified with Christ...and still living

Much as it is now with many college students, money was hard to come by when I was taking my university training back in the late 70's. At that time we were scrambling for weekend jobs which would net us $10 or $15 an afternoon. Imagine my excitement, then, when my roommate Kent approached me and told me that he had a new boss who would pay us over $25 a day... maybe even $30.

Six of us scrambled over to sign on with the man, a local roofer in the town. We spent the day in 40 degree rainy weather, assembling aluminum carports over customers' driveways. We had the itinerary of the whole day's list of assembly spots throughout the town.

"Come on," my friend Kent chattered through the continuing drizzle, "lets see how many of these we can do for the owner!"

So in the rain we doubled our efforts and put up carports across town - we took no break for lunch or resting.

The man told us that he would send our paychecks through Kent. The next week Kent came to me, sickened. "The owner pulled a fast one - he won't pay us for anymore than the first house. He's drummed up a technicality about being off the original location!"

"But that's not fair," I cried, "he knows we've doubled his normal output!"

"No matter," said Kent, "hes found a technicality and refuses to pay us more than a couple of dollars." Even now, more than 20 years later, I can recall the bitterness I felt when I phoned the owner who breezily claimed to be a Christian yet freely admitted he had us over a barrel and that, yes, he was cheating us out of money. You might think I'm exagerrating, but this is the actual response I got on the phone.

"If you don't like it, send me back the rest of the money," he taunted.

I hung up the phone and swallowed hard. Would it be easy to forgive? No.

But did I forgive? Yes.

And you know, all these years later, it still remains a hard memory....but I believe I have learned to forgive and let the Lord take charge. It's taken a load off me.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:20