Praise God for his provision. He is faithful. Thank you God for your love and mercy!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Myself in others
I have often seen myself in my children. Sometimes it's a good thing and other times, not so much. It's always a learning experience when God shines a light on my shortcomings.
One of the most wonderful life lessons I have learned is centered around this concept. When I find myself feeling hurt or frustrated by others, I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal times in my life when I, too, have done something similar. It never feels good to be judged or misunderstood, but the truth is that I know I have done these same things at various times in my life. We all have. If we have the courage to take an honest look at our own lives, we can admit that each of us falls short of perfection. But God loves us just as we are. Even though we were and are sinners, HE sent his SON to die for us. He has given us the gift of GRACE. Grace is unmerited favor. We cannot earn it. It is a gift. When we ask God to search us and reveal these truths to us, we gain the gifts of compassion and mercy through HIS gift of GRACE. In short, by admitting our own faults we can and should more easily forgive others.
In John 8:7, Jesus addresses this issue:
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
In that moment, they were challenged to see themselves in her. They were asked to examine their own hearts and lives. Jesus wasn't telling them to have pity on her or to hear her life story and be moved to compassion and somehow allow themselves to forgive her. This type of detachment robs us of true forgiveness. The pastor at my church in AZ summed it up by saying, 'it is not possible to forgive someone if we think we are better than them.'
God recently freed me from the pain of feeling betrayed in friendship. After almost a year of feeling so deeply wounded, I finally have peace and love in my heart for my friend. It was not easy and I had to choose forgiveness hundreds of times. Feelings of anger and resentment would often rise to the surface and I would wrestle with them, cry out to God and turn them over to him. Over and over I asked God to reveal my part and to give me understanding. He did. In his mercy, he gently revealed to me times that I chose to say or not say things that might have caused her to have insecurities about our friendship. I saw myself in her.
Thank you God, for your mercy. Thank you for giving your Son, who died for our sins so that we may be forgiven.
One of the most wonderful life lessons I have learned is centered around this concept. When I find myself feeling hurt or frustrated by others, I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal times in my life when I, too, have done something similar. It never feels good to be judged or misunderstood, but the truth is that I know I have done these same things at various times in my life. We all have. If we have the courage to take an honest look at our own lives, we can admit that each of us falls short of perfection. But God loves us just as we are. Even though we were and are sinners, HE sent his SON to die for us. He has given us the gift of GRACE. Grace is unmerited favor. We cannot earn it. It is a gift. When we ask God to search us and reveal these truths to us, we gain the gifts of compassion and mercy through HIS gift of GRACE. In short, by admitting our own faults we can and should more easily forgive others.
In John 8:7, Jesus addresses this issue:
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
In that moment, they were challenged to see themselves in her. They were asked to examine their own hearts and lives. Jesus wasn't telling them to have pity on her or to hear her life story and be moved to compassion and somehow allow themselves to forgive her. This type of detachment robs us of true forgiveness. The pastor at my church in AZ summed it up by saying, 'it is not possible to forgive someone if we think we are better than them.'
God recently freed me from the pain of feeling betrayed in friendship. After almost a year of feeling so deeply wounded, I finally have peace and love in my heart for my friend. It was not easy and I had to choose forgiveness hundreds of times. Feelings of anger and resentment would often rise to the surface and I would wrestle with them, cry out to God and turn them over to him. Over and over I asked God to reveal my part and to give me understanding. He did. In his mercy, he gently revealed to me times that I chose to say or not say things that might have caused her to have insecurities about our friendship. I saw myself in her.
Thank you God, for your mercy. Thank you for giving your Son, who died for our sins so that we may be forgiven.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)