natalie’s blog

As I approached the front door of the brick building, I breathed yet another quick prayer that I would find favor in the eyes of the manager, or whomever I would have to speak with to resolve this situation. I had never had this experience before, so I wasn’t quite sure how to handle it or what the end result would be. You see, earlier in the week I had received an “Insufficient Funds” notice from the bank. Unlike the blonde who quickly assumed this meant the bank had run out of money, I was quite aware that “Insufficient Funds” referred only to my checking account and was the result of a negligent error on my part. I had recorded a deposit and then forgotten to actually deposit it until a couple days later, just enough days so that my outflow exceeded my actual balance by a relatively small amount. Nevertheless, the error was mine and the bank was positioned to make $75 off of my error. $75 is a rather significant sum of money and I was determined not to part with it lightly.

And so I approached the bank that Friday afternoon, prepared to acknowledge my error and combat it with a recitation of my good behavior over the 15+ years I’d been banking with this bank. Surely since I was a good customer they would overlook this mistake and credit my account.

I walked up to the teller’s window and asked to speak with someone about having a charge removed from my account. The teller looked at me and questioned whether it was an unauthorized charge (well, sort of…I mean, I hadn’t exactly authorized the bank to withdraw the $75 fee from my account…). No, I replied. It was a fee for an overdrawn account. Oh. She looked at me knowingly and pointed across the lobby. I would need to speak with Linda* (*name changed) about that. I glanced over at Linda, thanked the teller and then made my way across the lobby to Linda’s desk. She stopped her work as I approached and asked what she could do to help me. I took a seat in the large leather chair facing her and pulled the fee notice from my planner. I placed it on the desk in front of her and explained that I knew it was completely my fault, but that I had been a good customer for many years and never had anything like this happen before, so I was wondering if they would remove the charge from my account.

Linda looked at me hesitatingly. Well, we don’t normally do stuff like that, she replied. She indicated in the direction of her supervisor’s office behind her and continued, they come down hard on my supervisor and then she comes down hard on me if we do this kind of thing too often. Ah. I mentally noted the end of that sentence. Too often. So they did do it sometimes. Perhaps I had a chance. I reiterated that I understood if they couldn’t do it, but I at least wanted to give it a try since I had been such a good customer all these years. (Surely they wouldn’t want to lose such a good customer over a measely $75…hint…hint…)

Linda’s supervisor walked out of her office at that moment and made her way across the lobby. I confess, I sort of avoided eye contact with her. Years ago I experienced a rather embarassing situation at the bank and she had gotten involved to help sort it out. It’s too much to go into now, but suffice it to say that although we had talked a number of times since then and maintained a casual acquaintance, I was sure that every time she looked at me she recalled that situation. (Irrational assumption, I suppose, but such it was.) Linda was volunteering to at least look at my account and see if there was anything she could do. It didn’t sound promising. Something caught Linda’s attention and she looked up from the desk for a moment, appeared to concentrate, and then nodded her head. I didn’t catch what was going on until later. Linda turned back to her computer and suddenly stated, okay, I’ll go ahead and credit the $75 back to your account. I’ll fill it out quickly and see if I can get it posted before 2:00 so that it goes into your account today. I was speechless. In a split second Linda made the decision to do what they normally don’t do and what she seemed so hesitant about only a moment before. I thanked Linda graciously and expressed my appreciation for her willingness to do this.

We discussed a few additional banking solutions and then Linda got up to go over to the teller’s window and get the credit posted to my account. As she did so, her supervisor walked past me and back into her office. I looked up just in time to see a small smile across her face. We didn’t even make eye contact, but the reality of what had taken place hit me. Linda’s supervisor had given her the go-ahead to credit my account. The fact that the $75 was posted to my account that day had nothing to do with my own merits or what a good customer I had been, but everything to do with the fact that the supervisor knew who I was and decided to extend mercy to me and remedy my error. I was humbled. Incredibly humbled and incredibly grateful.

Wow. I had just experienced in living color an unforgettable lesson on the kind of mercy God demonstrates toward me.

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:5-7

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