Quick to Forgive

Friday, September 30, 2011 (7:04 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

I made another mistake. I pretended my feelings weren’t hurt when they really were. I wasn’t quick to forgive. I was unkind. Impatient. Jealous. Envious. I was proud. Rude. Self-seeking. I kept records of wrongs. I did not rejoice with the truth. I stopped protecting. Trusting. Hoping. Persevering. All the things 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes as love, I have not been. Forgive me Father for I have sinned.

Lord. You are so good. I came out here with my own agenda. I thought I’d do all the talking. Begging forgiveness. And here You are again. Willing to teach me. As always! Thank You Lord.

Ephesians 4:30-32 and Colossians 3:11-13 are right here to speak to me again. In reading this section of Ephesians, I know that if I had a tail it would surely be between my legs. “Stop being mean, bad-tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ.”

Forgive me Lord. I truly thought I knew what I was doing. I meant no harm. I honestly believed I could play around with bitterness without getting too sucked into the pull of resentment. Not!

Even as I turn to Chapter 3 of Colossians, I read “Principles to Live By”. Dark underlines and brackets remind me that I have been here before. And here is the conformation. Ouch Lord! Thank You for helping me to remember how You would have me behave. Everywhere I turn in this short section I feel Your prodding.

Wiggle as I may, I can’t get out of this one with You. Whether it’s in the Bible verses themselves, The Life Recovery commentaries or The Illustrated Bible Handbook here You are firmly giving me a clearer, less attractive view of myself and my behavior. Ouch Lord! Forgive me.

Colossians 3:8 tells me, “But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.” Oops!

Verses 9 and 10, “Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with His label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.” Forgive me Lord. I slipped right back into my old ways thinking the outcome would be different this time.

Thank You for Your willingness to speak to me this morning. Thank You for showing me such a glaring, unflattering image of myself. Verses 12 through 14 keep hammering the truth home. “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else You put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”

I forgot Lord. I truly thought I could play around with grudge holding and cattiness without getting caught up in it. Not!

Verse 15-17, “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ – the Message – have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives – words, actions, whatever – be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Yes Lord. Thank You!

Thank You for not leaving me alone in the depths of my own childishness. Thank You for reminding me that Your Way is the BEST Way!

“To make progress in recovery it is essential that we take a personal inventory and then made amends to the people we have hurt. This means shedding our denial and learning to be truly honest with our failures…We need to make amends where necessary, to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt, and to forgive those who have hurt us.” I haven’t done this Lord. I pretended instead.

Reading under the heading Christ, The Pattern for a Fulfilling Life “Paul speaks of our lives as hidden with God in Christ. The source of fulfilling Christian experience is in heaven, not in ‘earthly things’… What is a truly spiritual life like? It is simply a daily walk in which we forgive others as the Lord forgave us; in which we are compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. It is simply living with others the kind of life that Jesus lived when he walked on earth, and thus to reveal the loving and holy character of our God.” I haven’t been doing this Lord. While You want us to 'live a life of love in the real world', I’ve been nursing a grudge from the past.

Thank You Lord that You are loving and forgiving. Thank You that You are good and trustworthy. Thank You that we are called to be like You. Help me do exactly that. And forgive me for being such an extremely slow learner! I love You Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(929 words ~ 8:58 a.m.)