Good morning! Recently, I have enjoyed looking back through the years and think about the things – the decisions, material items, ambitions, hobbies – that were once so important to me and then see how much they really mattered in the grand scheme of things.
It has been really eye-opening, encouraging, discouraging, and challenging all at the same time. It has forced me to do some deep thinking about how I have prioritized things, how I have treated people, and how I have represented Jesus! There are things I am proud of and things that I am not so proud of; but as discouraging as some things can be, I am even more encouraged about the TRANSFORMATION that has taken place in my life because of the work of the Holy Spirit!
There was a time early on in our marriage where I filled out an application for a job and I asked Mer to mail it in for me. Now, I have always believed that filling out an application is part of the job interview process. If it says to complete the application in blue or black ink, don’t complete it in red. If it says to not write below a certain location on the page, don’t write below that section. If it says to check off certain boxes, don’t circle the box or a specific answer.
This particular application said that it had to be mailed a specific way. I forget the real particulars on this one, but let’s say it had to be sent certified. Mer took the application (that I was so careful to fill out, following all the instructions) to the Post Office to ensure it was sent certified. While there, the Post Office guy (I’m sure they go by a different title) persuaded Mer to send it “first class” and not certified because it would essentially do the same thing for less money.
When Mer got home from the Post Office and told me this story, I was devastated! Sadly, I used to be that neurotic! I made her feel terrible for not listening to me instead of the guy behind the counter at the Post Office because it was all part of the test behind the application!
I never heard anything back from the place I was applying for and I continued to remind my wife that I didn’t expect to hear anything because she did not send the application back the way I told her to.
We were finally able to sit down and listen to each other and I told her I forgave her. But after that instance, I continued to bring this up in situations where she would do things differently than I would and the outcome was not what I wanted.
I had truly not forgiven her, I just buried it so I had something for later if I needed to defend myself in another disagreement. This was not loving, and this was not forgiveness.
The Bible talks a lot about forgiveness. It doesn’t tell us to forgive others… but hold a grudge. It doesn’t tell us to forgive others… but make others jump through hoops to earn our love. The Bible tells us to forgive others as God has forgiven us!
“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
I think that deserves a WOW this morning! Wow because, first of all – God’s forgiveness is AMAZING! Wow also because – that is challenging. It’s challenging because often times we want the other person to feel the pain they have caused us, or we want to make them pay for what they have done. But that is not how God has forgiven us. His Word tells us that as far as the East is from the West, that’s how far He has removed our sins from those that believe in Him!
God doesn’t wait for us to earn our way back into His good graces, He doesn’t make us feel undesirable or unloved – His love is unconditional and His forgiveness is never ending!
Maybe you are finding it hard to forgive someone in your life who has treated you unfairly, or has hurt you more than anyone could ever know. The pain is real! But God has called us to forgive others. Think about how much God has forgiven us. None of us could ever live according to God’s standards, but He chooses over and over to forgive – not because we deserve His forgiveness, but because it is in His character to forgive!
The situation involving the mailing of the application was so important to me at the time, but when I look back at how unimportant it was in the big picture, I can see the unnecessary dissension it wedged between us. Thankfully we look back and laugh about it – but what a silly little thing that I allowed to become such a big obstacle.
When you talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill – that is exactly what I did. Don’t let the small things steal another moment of your life! Choose forgiveness today because God has forgiven us and we want to be like Him!
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your forgiveness! We have all sinned and You have chosen to forgive us – once and for all! Help us to understand the depth of Your forgiveness and to extend it to everyone in our lives! Help us to not harbor unforgiveness in our hearts but to allow You to TRANSFORM the way we forgive so that we represent You well and not allow a moment of our lives to be wasted. In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 