I wrote about sainthood in my last post and perhaps one reason I did was because sainthood has already been bestowed upon me. And I didn’t even have to die. And it was given by one of the great powers of society: The public library.
Technological glitches can sometimes be pretty humorous so I’ve enjoyed the error that is in my Chicago Public Library profile that deems me “Christian St. Coon.” I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly noteworthy for the library to elevate me to such a high status, but we take what we can. Interestingly, though, it’s the Chicago Public Library that has done a saintly thing.
A few weeks ago, the library announced that not only were they forgiving all late fees, but they were doing away with late fees altogether, becoming the largest library system in the country to do so. One quote from a library spokesperson caught my eye: “Once people get fines that they can’t pay, they choose not to come back at all, so the materials also don’t come back. Fines truthfully haven’t been a revenue stream and weren’t designed to be a revenue stream. It was supposed to be an incentive to get the materials back, and the research shows that’s just not the case.”
Fascinating. Penalties (fines) were supposed to be an incentive for better behavior (returned books) and that hasn’t worked. So the library is going the way of grace instead.
I wish I was as gracious as the library, but I still find myself holding grudges and inflicting emotional penalties toward those whose behavior I want changed. A colleague reached out to me several weeks ago and wanted to talk on the phone to get some insights from me about church planting. I gladly did so. Then I needed some information last week from this colleague about their area of expertise and when I reached out…crickets. I wish I could you tell you I hold no bitterness toward this person, but no such luck. It reminds me of the quote I read not long ago about resentment: “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” (To be clear, I don’t want my colleague to perish!)
Thankfully, I have the example of the library and, of course, Jesus. “Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.'” (Matthew 18:21-22)
Holding onto grudges or holding onto grace? It’s a good question for all of us. May we find numerous examples in our daily lives to choose the latter.