The Well
The Well |
|
Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Saturday
September 20, 2008
Don't say, "I will get even for this wrong." Wait for the Lord to handle the
matter.
Proverbs 20:22
Prior to accepting Christ as my Savior, and for a short time afterward, I was a horoscope person. No, I didn't read the daily things, but I definitely read about the different "signs." One thing about my sign bothered me – I was a person who sought revenge; at least that is what they said about me. After reading it so many times, I began to believe it. I also believed I didn't like pink and didn't like being a woman. Ha! I love pink, but the woman thing? Well, God is turning me around in that area.
Oh, yeah! Back to the revenge thing. Never have I enjoyed revenge. Even when
I used to stand in my room singing Brenda Lee songs as a little girl, I hated
one of the songs that said,
"And that's when I'll discover that revenge
is sweet;
when I sit there applauding from a front row seat.
When
somebody breaks your heart like you broke mine!"
Okay, I was pretty good
at not seeking revenge, at least not until people started hurting my children;
and that was after I became a Christian.
When Jessica gave birth to Callie, the dad showed up. As I've shared before, God did a work in me and I was able to not only forgive him, but to love him. That wasn't the case with Jessica's dad. He still can't forgive Chris. Maybe because they have so much in common…
Forgiveness for a Christian is not an option. Time and again Jesus taught about the importance of forgiveness. If we are to have a vital relationship with our Heavenly Father, forgiveness is essential. God is faithful.
Heavenly Father, I praise You. I thank You that You didn't just teach us forgiveness You paved the way. I praise You for Jesus and for sending Him to pay the price for my sins. Thank You for helping me as I make decisions to forgive. Help me as I teach others that revenge is not sweet, but that it plants a root of bitterness that not only spoils our spirit but also kills our bodies in the long run. Help us all offer this forgiveness completely in your name. We trust you to handle the rest. We love you!
