Forgiveness…..It’s His Way….

O.K. yesterday I lashed out with a “take no prisoners” rant, meant every word of it, but in my quiet time, I came to the conclusion that I know I need to forgive a bunch of people.  Let me clarify something about my reactions to various circumstances.  I don’t hate any of the perpetrators mentioned yesterday, I do hate their behavior, and it is possible to separate the  behavior from the person.  It’s easy to get really angry at what someone does, it’s a lot harder to understand that behavior is not necessarily the person themselves.  Constant repeated behavior can change a person, but we all have our bad moments.

Let me offer a few suggestions on how to deal with behavior that runs your emotiuons up the wall!

1. Walk a mile in their shoes.  Sometimes if e take a little time to look into a situation we can see that there is a great deal more to a person behavior than meets the eye.  I’m not suggesting that if a person grew up under difficult circumstance that they are free to go out and take it out on society.   No, we need to deal with, and grow out of our difficulties, but for some, under some circumstances it’s a great deal harder than it sounds.  I’m not turning liberal, just trying to consider that things are not always as cut and dried as we may want to think they are.

2.  Remember that Christ died for all of us.  This is a hard one for me, to think that Jesus death on the cross was also for some of the most evil people that have ever lived, but it’s true, if they had turned to Him and asked for His forgiveness we would spend eternity with them in Heaven.

3. God sees all sin as sin. (Period)  We have a tendency to rank sins as small, medium, large and extra large.  God sees all sin as sin.  I can’t plead to him that my sins are less than your sins.  He doesn’t tolerate any sin.  No, it’s best to simply confess, and ask fro His loving kindness and forgiveness!

4. We do not have the right to hold on to our anger, that’s a sin that grows worse with time.  Refusing to let go of the hurts and anger we build up, hurts us more than the one we hold that grudge against.  I was once praying and said to Jesus, “But you don’t know how much they hurt me!!”  It had not even left my heart and mouth before I relaized what and insult it was to tell the King of  Kings, the very Son of God, who was spat on, and mocked and then crucified,  that He didn’t understand.   No one knows more about pain, agony and hurt than He does, and yet hHe tells us forgive.  Remember that while hanging on the cross in unbelievable pain He asked His Father to forgive those that had placed Him there.

5.  God didn’t ask us to punish the sinners, He asked us to love them into His arms!  God’s job is to deal with sinners, ours, as hard as it is, is to love them.  Nothing will turn the heart of lost soul like being loved and knowing it is undeserved,  it worked on me!  God does not want to condemn a single soul, and He certainly has not given us permission to do so.

6.  Don’t throw the first stone.  When Jesus found some releigous leaders condemning a  woman that they had caught in the act of adultry, He told them, “Yes she has sinned, let he that is without sin, throw the first stone.”  They all walked away.  In life, we often should choose that option, just walk away.

Getting emotional and feeling anger is normal, holding onto it and letting it turn to rage and hate is fatal mistake.

Father, Forgive me for my being quick to judge, and slow to remember that you love them too.  I pray for those that have hurt others, and are hurting themselves.  I pray that they will find their way back to you. Remind me,  through the Holly Spirit,  to take a deep breath before allowing my anger to grow, to let it go, and give it to you, and to forgive those that have sinned against me, just as you have forgiven me for my sins.  Thank you Father,  for loving me.   Amen.

Blessings,

the pilgrim