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Monday, September 28, 2020

God Speaks Forgiveness


Have you ever forgiven someone?  Has someone ever forgiven you?  I suspect the answer to both of these is YES.  Forgiveness is the "intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, and overcomes negative emotions such as resentment and vengeance."  There are a couple key words in or missing from this definition. First, this definition is missing the sadness.  Forgiveness does not eliminate sadness; it eliminates resentment and vengeance. There can still be feelings of sadness after offering forgiveness and that's okay.  The other key words IN the definition are "intentional" and "voluntary".  Forgiveness does not usually just come upon someone...it is an intentional and voluntary act.  Forgiveness is a choice! 

According to an article put out by hopkinsmedicine.org, your very health is dependent on whether or not you choose to forgive.  Per the article, unforgiveness can lead to heart attack, poor sleep, and higher levels of pain, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and stress.  Forgiveness, on the other hand, calms stress levels, which in turn, eases the other symptoms.  The article goes on to say, “It is an active process in which you make a conscious decision to let go of negative feelings whether the person deserves it or not,”

From a science standpoint we can see that forgiveness is good and necessary.  Right in line with the thinking of science is what God has to say about forgiveness.  It is good and necessary.  There are many verses in the Bible that deal with forgiveness. All throughout the Old Testament, God continually forgives the nation of Israel for things they do against His will. He is constantly giving second (and sometimes third, fourth, fifth) chances.  God often declares His sadness at the misdoings of Israel, but there is never a time He refuses to forgive them.  If our family or children acted out against us as often as the nation of Israel did against God, we may be tempted to reach a point where we just can not forgive anymore, but God does not reach that point.  The people of Israel always see the error of their ways and ask for mercy from God and He always intentionally and voluntarily gives it.


The New Testament talks about forgiveness as well, but in the NT the focus seems a little different.  In the NT, we are introduced to Jesus, God's Son.  He is still a part of the Godhead but has come to live on earth.  Jesus tells us that God wants us to live forever in heaven with them, but because of Adam and Eve and the choices they made, it is impossible as only perfect people can live in heaven and we all know, no one on this present earth is perfect. We ALL sin, or do bad things, in one way or another.  Some SEEM to have worse sins than others, but to God, all sins carry the same weight.  A sin is a sin is a sin!  These sins keep us from being perfect and keep us from gaining entrance to heaven.  God decided that the only way to solve this problem was for someone who WAS perfect to bridge the gap for us.  God sent Jesus, as the perfect one, to make this happen.  Jesus intentionally and voluntarily took the punishment for our bad things dying not only physically, but also going into Hell to overcome our punishment after our death.  Additionally, Jesus forgave us even before we were born.  Some of His last words on the cross were, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Most believe He was talking specifically about those who put Him on the cross, but He was likely also talking about ALL of those people in past and to come and the bad things they would do.  

Since this forgiveness came BEFORE we were born and before we had done anything wrong, it is up to us to realize and accept it.  I believe the time is coming quickly when we will no longer have the opportunity to receive this forgiveness that God and Jesus give to us.  Remember that God created Adam and Eve to have perfect fellowship with them.  They disobeyed God, humans then became imperfect and did and do bad things.  These bad things prevent us from living in a perfect world with God when we die.  Jesus forgave our bad things and made a way for us to live in the perfect world and all we need to do is realize and accept His forgiveness. 

If you are ready, but unsure how/what to pray, feel free to use this prayer or something similar.  "Jesus, I acknowledge that I do bad things and I thank you for forgiving me ahead of time.  Thank you for preparing the way for me to live in the perfect world with You and God.  I accept your forgiveness for the bad things I've done.  Help me to live each day more like You!  Amen."

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

God Speaks in Puzzles



Do you ever question why? Why is this happening or why can't I....? Often the world and situations make no sense to us. These are puzzles in our lives. The current status of the United States can be a big puzzle as well. God can use these types of puzzles to speak to us and to teach us. Sometimes we don't know the why until much later. Sometimes we never know the why, we just trust that God will see us through. I find myself in one of these "why" moments right now. I began my blog roughly one year ago out of another "why" moment. At that time, the school in which I had worked for 20 years was downsizing and I was asked to change from full-time to part-time. After consideration, my husband and I decided that this would not be possible. I immediately found another job in a local school system about 2 weeks after resigning from my previous workplace. Eventually I came to understand this "why" moment. 

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; . . . Romans 5:3-4

I was hired as a Media Facilitator, basically an assistant to the Media Specialist, and was working in the libraries of two different schools on the same campus. There were many new things to learn and I really came to enjoy this position. I had joked to someone recently that for the first time in 20 or so years I didn't mind going back to school once summer was over. Although I knew that things were going to be different due to the complications of CoVid 19, I was still looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead of me. It was at this point the second "why" moment happened. My principal called me to let me know that I had been laid off! To say I was shocked would not be truthful as I had heard rumors that cuts were going to happen and with CoVid still present in our lives, I knew it was a possibility. However, that did not ease my sadness at the loss of my job, nor the concerns over being able to pay our bills. I later learned that close to 50 or more people in the system were laid off as well. 

All of this is happening for your good. As grace is spread to the multitudes, there is a growing sound of thanks being uttered by those relishing in the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15

Trying to understand this most recent "why" moment has been difficult. I know the "outside" why...lack of funding, coronavirus, etc. But I have yet to discover God's "why" in this puzzle. Is this a time for faith-building? Had we gone too far from relying on God that He needed to give us a little shake-up? What is it I need to learn or discover from this puzzle? I may never know. I can only acknowledge that God still has a plan and a purpose and is in control. I can also reflect on Romans 8:28 and know that all will be well.  

We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.

All photos found on Pixabay.com    All Scriptures "The Voice" version.