It probably seems too much like a scene from a Hollywood movie except, that it did really happen. 
      A few days ago I was watching a high school baseball playoff game.  There was one kid that I knew that I didn't see on the field.  I asked around a little and discovered that he was not on the field because he had broken a rule and was being benched for the game. 
      I thought, "ouch."  Man, this is a BIG game for this team (semi-finals).  I'm sure the coach struggled with that decision.  But, the game rocked along with the team adjusting to this players absence. 
      Then, late in the game, with runners on base, the coach asked for a time-out.  He looked into the dugout and seemed to smile and then, there was a "buzz" in the crowd.  The kid who was sitting out the game was being inserted into the lineup.  He was a power hitter and everyone was thinking the same thing; "Wouldn't be awesome if he hit it out?"
      He went to the plate and drew a walk.  But, in the last inning, with his team down, he came to bat again.  This time, he took a mighty cut and the ball landed beyond the outfield fence. 
      The crowd went wild, as you can imagine.  The boy trots around the bases and is greeted by his team-mates after hitting a home run.  As he was greeted I thought, "That's a lesson in forgiveness." 
      When the game started, let's just say the boy was probably in the coach's "dog house."  And, I'm sure the coach regretted having to make that decision.  This boy is a power hitter.  His bat would be very helpful in the lineup.  This was a semi-final game in the state play-offs.  Games don't come any more important than this one was. 
      But, after the coach decided to open the door of the "dog house" and let the kid out, he was rewarded with a game winning home run. 
      Is there someone in your "dog house" that you need to let out?
      Maybe it's your spouse.  Or a child or a parent or a neighbor or a colleague at work.  Be careful that you are not so hard on people that you never let them out of the dog house because all of us end in the dog house at some point or another.  We all make mistakes.   All of us need forgiveness at some point or another. 
      Do you need to go open the door of the dog house now?