Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:41-43 NLT)

It’s been almost five years since I graduated college and I can finally say that I don’t owe Ms. Sallie Mae anymore money!! Having debt feels heavy, unnecessary, and it delays life…so why have it in the first place? I’m so thankful for God’s provision in our lives, but most importantly, His sacrifice on the cross was a full payment of our debt caused by sin. Paying off my school loan was somehow a great reminder of the greater debt our Savior took upon Himself to pay fully with His own life. Even when circumstances and outcomes in our lives are not the ones that we expect or even deserve, we must remain thankful for what has already been done!

My new favorite show is “Prison Break,” thanks to my hubby, I have to watch a few episodes every day! Michael Scofield robs a bank so that he could be in the same prison as his older brother, Lincoln Burrows to break him out. I should probably mention that Lincoln was framed in the murder of the Vice President’s brother and is about to face the death penalty. The show gets complicated as it goes, but what I love about it is the redemptive qualities in each of its characters. What keeps me watching is not only whether Michael gets to escape prison or avoid getting involved with The Company, but hoping that the antagonists find truth and redemption. Some do, some don’t. Also, one episode a character dies, then a season or two later the dead rises! The writers of the show find ways of bringing the dead back by explaining in some way that the character didn’t die before as we all thought. But in my eyes, these characters were given second chances to make a change in others’ lives. Again, redemption!

My favorite character is Michael’s loyal cell mate, Fernando Sucre. Not only because he is Puerto Rican like me, but he goes far to help his innocent friends find freedom, risking his own capture. One thing Kenny promised me about the show is that Sucre is loyal til’ the end! Once a thief, he promises he will behave like a saint when he comes out of prison to be with his pregnant girlfriend Mari Cruz. Problem is, Mari Cruz is considering marrying Sucre’s cousin since Sucre still has to serve 18 months in prison. If he doesn’t escape now, he will lose the love of his life and his child. After declining Michael’s invitation to escape, Sucre finally says yes. What’s so sad about his story, he later had to make the decision to stay away from Mari Cruz to avoid any danger and then he unites with Michael and Lincoln to fight The Company in Panama. Loyalty is truly a rare characteristic to find in friends. Even the disciples had a difficult time being loyal to Jesus when being persecuted.

Yet He still loves us, regardless of how messed up we can be! He will forgive our debts, but then He asks us to forgive others as well. What I love about the verse on the top of the page is that it serves as evidence that God will forgive a large debt as much as a smaller one. As humans, we love to measure sin, but in God’s economy He forgives even when we owe Him more than the person standing next to us.

So as a way to celebrate paying off my school debt, Kenny took me to my favorite pizza place, Piola. We went early to get their early bird discount. We paid $6.66 (I know…666..) for each pizza and they were both delicious! He had the Honolulu Pizza, which is your typical Hawaiian and I had the Mantova Pizza, which is a cheese pizza topped with Brie cheese, beef carpaccio, and arugula!