Saturday, October 19, 2019

Forgiveness

This post was written by my wonderful mom, Teresa Kirk. I hope you enjoy it!

Forgiveness is on my mind.  Because I need to forgive some people and it’s really, really hard.  Have you ever been there?  I know it’s the right thing to do.  Jesus said if we don’t forgive others we aren’t forgiven.  I’ve been trying to forgive them, but it’s just so very hard.  

Why is it so hard to forgive?  For me, in this situation, the wrong done wasn’t done to me, but to someone I love and care about.  That person has forgiven them, but I continue to struggle with forgiving them.  God knows my heart, and this week I had to see several of those people face to face, not by my choice.  (It’s much easier to ignore them, when they live in another town and you never see them.)   Knowing I was going to be seeing them, I had to ask the Lord to give me a forgiving heart.  I was able to give hugs to my fellow Christians and at least start to forgive them.  

Unfortunately, my heart attitude still needs changed.  I still believe what they did was so very wrong – and if I could, I would make them suffer the way “we” have because of their actions.  I realized today (before Kattarin asked me to write this blog) that fortunately for me, God doesn’t forgive me that way.  How many times have I done things in ways that have hurt Him, hurt His Son or one of His other children?  Each time He forgives me, He doesn’t hold it against me.  Just because it is easy for me to avoid the people I feel wronged me, doesn’t mean I can get away with my unforgiving attitude.  If I will not turn it over to the Lord and choose to forgive, I will become a bitter, unforgiving person.  The choice is mine.  Even when I choose forgiveness, sometimes it is a process.

As I think of forgiveness, I am reminded of another time I had to forgive and be forgiven.  This time it was my children’s Granddad, my father-in-law.  He lived next door to us and I saw him daily.    Dad loved a smooth lawn; my husband didn’t care if it looked like we lived in the middle of a grass wilderness, so mowing my grass was Dad’s way of taking care of me.  Unfortunately, he didn’t always pay attention to what he mowed and one day mowed down a fledgling tree, one my children had planted.  I was angry – how dare he?  Eventually, I forgave him – sooner rather than later, as I saw him all the time.  Only, do you know what?  He had to forgive me too.  He had to forgive me for being angry with him for trying to help me.  Sometimes we don’t see the other person’s side of the situation.  Who do you need to forgive?  Are you willing to let the Lord work in your heart and change you?  I’m asking Him to change my heart attitude and to forgive as He forgave me.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Liar, Lunatic or Lord

Around this time of year, in churches all around the world, people are presented with a question. The same question that has been presented ...