Sometimes I feel like God lets things play out in my life to really teach me and drive things home. If we could all learn from each other’s experiences, that would be great. However, we stubborn humans often like to do things the hard way. We can read something in a book, apply it to everybody else, and then conveniently forget that knowledge when things come up in our own lives. In those moments, we would do well to recall and listen to those pearls of wisdom. Often, we do know what God says, but we remain stubborn anyway. Or we act impulsively based on our feelings instead of our heads. If you only knew what X person did, then you would do the same thing.
So what brings all of this up? The personal details don’t matter. Let’s just say what a difference Christ, the word “sorry,” and forgiveness make. It is such a blessing to be able to say you’re sorry. No hard feelings, weights lifted off, joy restored. I literally just thanked God because despite my own stubbornness, He just gave me the opportunity to do what my heart was calling me to. Because of sinful pride, I might not have even said it because we often want the other person to say sorry first. It’s great when it happens. You wait, they make the first move, and then it’s off to happy tears and hugs and relationship restored. However, we don’t always get that happy ending and the person doesn’t always even acknowledge that they did anything wrong. In fact, they might even blame you. How can we forgive someone like that? They say it takes two to tango. Often both parties do things that they should each apologize for, but each side is too stubborn to admit it or give in even the teensiest bit. And then what happens? Pointless fights, divorce, hurt feelings, grudges… In the past, I did hold grudges that really were only harming myself. The person could be oblivious and have moved on and I was still holding onto things that would come out the next time there was an issue. They all just piled up on top of each other. I was once surprised with a déjà vu experience where God revealed to me I’d been holding a grudge I didn’t even consciously know I had. A person I had avoided for a few years, enough time having passed to forget why I had avoided them in the first place, only to be reminded of why years later because God wanted me to forgive them. God brought me to my knees in repentance and I prayed for the person who had unwittingly hurt me. God showed me that they were longsuffering and needed prayer, not more condemnation. Often times though, the people closest to us are the ones that end up hurting us the most. The person I most needed to forgive was the hardest to forgive. I prayed for help because I had tried, they had tried, and it just wasn’t working. God DOES listen to prayer. God can soften hardened hearts, mend broken hearts, and truly restore relationships that we otherwise could destroy if left on our own. I don’t think Jesus put the “forgive others” part in the Our Father prayer because God’s a cold dictator who just made a bunch of random rules to obey. God knows that we only harm ourselves when we don’t forgive and he illustrated how ludicrous it is for us not to forgive someone and still expect to be forgiven by Him. The wicked servant was forgiven his huge debt and he couldn’t forgive the man that owed him a smaller debt? Jesus died on a cross for you and you’re mad at so and so about what? We have ALL fallen short, but that’s where Jesus comes in. That’s also good to keep in mind when you consider that not everyone has Jesus. Hurt people hurt others. Instead of adding to the darkness in the world, be the refreshing light. If you fall, repent and make things right. The one who has the most things to be forgiven is logically the one that is the most grateful. I THANK God that he extends His love and mercy to us because really, we are SO unworthy and yet he still somehow cares instead of regarding us with total disdain or disgust. Our sin is like cigarettes and blackened lungs, but he still loves us in spite of our terrible flaws. Thank God when He disciplines you, or be worried if He doesn’t. A lot of people think they’re pretty good people and, like the Pharisee praying in the temple, brag that they’re not like those other people doing “insert horrible thing here.” However, they’re forgetting that to God, all sin is just that, a sin, and the wages of sin is death. If you can’t do it, ask God to help you forgive. God won’t force you, but He’d like you to choose life because He made you, loves you, and wants you to be with Him in eternity. Comments are closed.
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DisclaimerWhile I love open discussions, not all internet users are kind. I'd like to build people up, not have others cut people down. Therefore, no comments, but feel free to email me if there's something you'd like to share with me. Archives
July 2020
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