Forgiveness

Matthew 6:9-15
                               I'm singing this as I type:
Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread
And forgive us our debts, (sins) as we forgive our debtors
(those who have sinned against us)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever, Amen  

v. 14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses,  (again, sin) neither will your Father forgive your transpasses. (sins)

Forgiveness is an interesting thing.   It is a gift from God to free us from our own personal damaging emotions.

Unforgiveness ties us to the sin of the one who hurt us.  I know there is no actual scripture that says that but I personally feel it is implied.

We  feel that forgiveness is saying to the person who hurt us, I accept what you have done to me was not really bad.  Or,   or even, it's ok, no big deal. Or even, you didn't sin against me.  I just judged you wrong.

But, in fact all our forgiveness  is doing is undoing the hold of our anger and hatred and bitterness over our life.  We are leaving their actions in the hands of God, to judge or bring correction.  And we are opening the doors in our own lives for God  to forgive us our own sins and establish correction.

In an ongoing relationship  that forgiveness can lead to reconciliation and cleansing between the two involved.

But, in any event,  forgiveness for the believer, is breaking the hold another has over your life.  God will deal with wrong in all our lives and we need to trust Him to do this, and that effectively, as we could never do.

Yes, we have to live with the hurt and work through that with the LORD.  Part of that work is reminding ourselves of what God says we have in Him.  His love, his grace, his healing and his freedom from victim-hood.

Also, there are facts in our own life we may need to deal with.  Our hard heart, our selfishness, our demand that what I want I get and what you want is BAD.  Or there could be a lack of attention to the needs of our partner.  I have found this bottom line to be true, to often in my own life 'fights'.

Yes, it can very much be the partner's unfaithfulness is just selfishness or sin.  It could be the one involved doesn't have any sin but the bottom line is still - only in forgiveness are you set free to fully live a life of freedom and worship in the LORD.

I don't think that forgiveness means  you have  to then enter into a renewed intimate  relationship.  That clearly is not for the best in some cases.  But it means you can free them into God's hand to complete His work in their life.

A tunnel, but it can end in the light

Attitude and gratitue

I was in a state of grumbling cuz' there are some few things in my life not going "MY WAY"

Then  a writing called  Worst Day Ever
by Chanie Gorken, aged 14, came to my attention.  

Look it up on the Internet as I don't
have permission to share it privately.
It got me to thinking how easy it is
to take the negative view of life when
just a slight change in viewpoint or
attitude can change whole picture.

So, I began to list my blessing:

A home                                                 Heat,
Running hot and cold water
Flush toilet,
A bed, a stove, a fridge, a washer
and dryer, a dishwasher, a
microwave oven, a coffee
maker, and oh so much,
much more.

All these things I have been taking as my right – but are they. I know that where I've have lived in Africa, the citizens of many places in Africa have none of these things.    Many live in a small mud hut with a fire in the middle of the one room and maybe a blanket to wrap in as they sleep of the ground around the fire. Yes, I am privileged and blessed.

Also, I can:                                          

Hear

See,
Smell,
Touch/ feel,
Taste
Walk
Talk
I have hands that work
I have a mind in good working order   And much much more.
Not everyone has this privilege.  I am VERY blessed



Further blessings:

Wonderful, caring parents, who lived their faith with integrity
Three beloved brothers.   And the added blessing of their children and wives who have all blessed my life.

A wonderful, smart, intelligent husband with integrity who has so many attributes, but the greatest to me, is that he loves the LORD Jesus and preaches His word with Power.
Been gifted with 3 wonderful, brilliant children and 3 incredible grandchildren - what a joy.
Wonderful friends who have given me many joyous memories

Arrival at Mission station

And permeating my whole life, I have been all over the world, first with parents who were missionaries, and later on my own.  I lived in Tanganyika (it's name then) as a young girl,

     

Tambo boarding school, Bolivia

Going to Bolivia as a teenager.   I went to a boarding school, called Tambo, in Bolivia.    That brief, 4 year period has affected my whole life.  There were some hard parts but even those were a gift in my life.

Matopas, Zimbabwe

Then after a move to South Africa I met and married a man from there. We lived in Zimbabwe 20 years.  My husband is a pastor.





We have now come back to the USA.   There have been hard times throughout my life yes, but don't we all have those times.  And,  once past the immediate hard time, one sees valuable lessons learned that probably would never have been learned any other way.

So, today, my advice to me is Praise the LORD who holds all things in His hands, and especially as His Child (He adopted me -  Eph 1:5) He hold my days, and upholds me in my ways.   Thank you Father.