If I were to say a few words to you, without reacting, be honest with yourself and tell yourself out loud what emotions they initiate:
- Anger
- Overwhelmed
- Successful
- Accountable
- Reasonable
- Spiritual
- Bad
- Moral
- Realistic
- Good
- Should've
- Forgiveness
Raw emotions when unchecked can cause a lot of pain for some, reactions from others and even some extreme outbursts from a few. If we were to be completely honest about this, then we would have said (aloud) that some, if not all, these words either had us thinking about something very emotional in our life or about someone else who caused a response in this.
Lance put this quote on his Facebook post that sparked this blog post from me: "When it comes to conflict, hurt and resentment, it is the one who has been wronged who has all the power, not the one who does the wrong. And our power comes in the form of forgiveness. When we forgive, we liberate ourselves to live the life God has given us."
When we look around there is always someone else who has it better or who has it worse then we do - if you are really honest - that is a true statement. There are some circumstances that have happened to some of us that can never be taken back - they just happened. On this side of Heaven, I can never try to explain the "why's" or the "why not's" to you on why they happened.
If we are trying to keep record of right or wrongs in what other people have done, let us look first at the wrong that we have done to God - sin! All of us are guilty, not one of us perfect.
Some verses to ponder before my next post:
- Mark 11:25 "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses"
- Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
- James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
- Luke 6:27 "“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,"
- Colossians 3:13 "Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Meditate on these verses, pray on them, ask the Lord to reveal events, memories and emotions and people that you have to give to Him. Let go and Let God.
Come, let us reason together! In my next post we will talk about the response that is required of God's disciples.
Blessings,Dante