The Apology at the Bus Stop

Lewis was excited about reading the opening passage at the children's service. He practised the words on the bus and imagined speaking clearly in front of the whole room. His Bible was marked, and he knew exactly where to begin.

Across the aisle sat his friend Oliver. They had argued the day before when Lewis made a joke about a mistake Oliver made in class. Other children laughed, and Lewis repeated the joke even after he saw that it hurt.

Lewis had planned to act friendly and let the matter disappear. Oliver answered politely on the bus but did not sit beside him. As Lewis looked down at the passage he was practising, he remembered that the Lord cared about the way he treated people as well as the way he read aloud.

At the bus stop he asked Oliver for a moment. He named the joke, admitted that he repeated it to get more laughter, and said he was sorry. He did not tell Oliver that he had been too sensitive. He also promised to correct the impression he had given the other children.

Oliver listened. He was still hurt, and Lewis did not demand an immediate smile. Later that morning Lewis spoke to the friends who had heard him. He explained that the joke was unkind and asked them to stop repeating it.

Reading at the service remained a good responsibility, but it could not replace making the wrong right. Lewis's voice sounded a little less confident when he stood up, yet his heart was no longer working so hard to avoid Oliver's eyes.

Jesus teaches us to take reconciliation seriously. We cannot use a church activity as a neat cover for careless treatment of someone nearby. The person we have hurt is not an interruption to our service for God. Addressing that hurt honestly may be the first obedience the Lord has placed before us. Lewis needed his marked Bible and a willing mouth, but he also needed a truthful apology at an ordinary bus stop.