Skip to main content

Forgive...

             Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8)

 

Yeah, this would have to be the verse of the day. In the past week to ten days, I’ve been working on forgiving some people and I think I’ve been doing half-decently at it. My policy has been that whenever I start getting angry or hurt, I pray for their well-being and blessing. But it cannot escape my notice that there’s no reciprocation. I should be used to this, because this isn’t the first, or even the fifth time it’s happened. People decide I’m something to scrape off their shoes. It doesn’t help that someone else said something in my hearing on another subject and I’m grinding my teeth about that, too.

Forgiveness isn’t (necessarily) easy. And it’s even harder when you’re the person you need to forgive. Bearing with other people seems like a burden I just don’t want to shoulder. Enduring someone else’s hatred (and don’t let them fool you when they lie and say it’s just “dislike”) is difficult. And yet - this is precisely the sort of thing Jesus had to endure. They didn’t like what He said, so they conspired against Him and crucified Him - and they thought they were doing their nation (and probably God) a favor. If He learned obedience through suffering, can we who have been, are, and will be disobedient expect to avoid the lessons?

I’m not looking for pity. I’m not looking for anyone to take my side against someone. I’m not going to gossip and share details; I’ll delete any comment that attempts to supply details or defend anyone’s perspective. That’s not why I’m sharing this. I’m sharing it because forgiveness is probably the toughest lesson we need to learn - but it’s not an elective course. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more