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Key Bible Verse: Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy (Proverbs 27:6, NLT). Bonus Reading: Psalm 141:5

Mark Gagnon worked as a clerk in the Northhampton, Massachusetts, store owned by James Brazeau. James had promised to bring Mark a New England Patriots cap when he returned from the game. James arrived, cap in hand, only to discover that Mark had stolen $4,382 worth of lottery tickets from the store!

Mark was prosecuted, and just before he was sentenced, his former boss James walked over to the defendant's table and presented Mark with a paper bag. "I want this to be a learning experience for you," he said. The Patriots cap was in the bag. The judge, watching from the bench, made the cap part of Gagnon's sentence, ordering him to wear it every time he ventured out in public for the next two years.

James Brazeau wanted to rebuild and restore the relationship with Mark. Giving Mark the cap said to him "We can learn from this and move on."

—William Nix in Character Works

My Response: I'll consider extending friendship to a hurting guy who I wouldn't be naturally drawn to.

Thought to Apply: A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else.
—Len Wein (author)

Adapted from: Character Works (Broadman & Holman, 1999).

Prayer for the Week

Enable me, Lord, to forge human relationships that mirror Your faithfulness.

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