For all that are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14
Loving Creator, Living Christ, Moving Holy Spirit
Lord that about says it all. Loving, Living, Moving...
Thank you for the opportunities You give me to know my true self and the true self of those around me. Please, forgive me for the times I get so into the world that I forget this.
May I live in Your peace and love today. May I remember that I am here to spread that peace and love with all that You put in my path. AMEN
Showing posts with label forgivness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forgivness. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sorry On My Lips, But In My Heart?
Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. Proverbs 22:17-18
Yesterday's golf format was a Scotch twosome. You and your partner each hit drives, then you pick the best one to play and alternate shots until you have putted out. My partner and I weren't having one of our best performances on the course. We had one spectacular hole, but that was about it. The two fun ladies with whom we played were in the same boat. All of us hit some beautiful shots, plus some very poor ones. Nothing is worse than messing up your partner's great shot with a really stinky follow up. I did it more than once. If the four of us said "I'm sorry" once, we said it fifty times. Finally, we all agreed to quit saying it. We knew we were sorry, and we were sure equal in the times we needed to pass the apology back and forth.
Three things came to mind later as I was thinking about the day.
One, how routine it became to say that phrase in the short time we played. How easy it was to say... ready on our lips. We really felt badly, wanted our partner to know it, and deep down were embarrassed and wanted to be forgiven.
Two, the apologies were for such a little thing in the big picture of our lives. I am really good at saying I am sorry over these little inconsequential golf shots. Good grief it wasn't for big bucks like the pros play for! Why is it so easy to say "I'm sorry" over the little things, not the big ones, if it is right there on our lips? Maybe I don't have the real ideal of forgiveness far enough down in my heart to be able to quickly apologise for my big mistakes.
Three, when you start really paying attention to a "saying of the wise" it is amazing how often it crops up in your life. Chances to apply it. We have been pondering forgiveness here for a while. Now I see it in little happenstances, like on the golf course, and in telephone calls from an old school chum who called this week to apologise for an occurrence that happened years ago.
The deeper in my heart I put the will of God, the more I let God's will work on me, the quicker it travels from my heart to my lips. How about you?
Yesterday's golf format was a Scotch twosome. You and your partner each hit drives, then you pick the best one to play and alternate shots until you have putted out. My partner and I weren't having one of our best performances on the course. We had one spectacular hole, but that was about it. The two fun ladies with whom we played were in the same boat. All of us hit some beautiful shots, plus some very poor ones. Nothing is worse than messing up your partner's great shot with a really stinky follow up. I did it more than once. If the four of us said "I'm sorry" once, we said it fifty times. Finally, we all agreed to quit saying it. We knew we were sorry, and we were sure equal in the times we needed to pass the apology back and forth.
Three things came to mind later as I was thinking about the day.
One, how routine it became to say that phrase in the short time we played. How easy it was to say... ready on our lips. We really felt badly, wanted our partner to know it, and deep down were embarrassed and wanted to be forgiven.
Two, the apologies were for such a little thing in the big picture of our lives. I am really good at saying I am sorry over these little inconsequential golf shots. Good grief it wasn't for big bucks like the pros play for! Why is it so easy to say "I'm sorry" over the little things, not the big ones, if it is right there on our lips? Maybe I don't have the real ideal of forgiveness far enough down in my heart to be able to quickly apologise for my big mistakes.
Three, when you start really paying attention to a "saying of the wise" it is amazing how often it crops up in your life. Chances to apply it. We have been pondering forgiveness here for a while. Now I see it in little happenstances, like on the golf course, and in telephone calls from an old school chum who called this week to apologise for an occurrence that happened years ago.
The deeper in my heart I put the will of God, the more I let God's will work on me, the quicker it travels from my heart to my lips. How about you?
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Still Trying
Still Loving the Neighbor !!
You know when you sincerely start to work on this it is really hard, and I hate to admit that. It hurts to admit you are having trouble with a direction from Christ that sounds so Christian-like. So basic. I always try to start these soul searching, walk the path improvements close to home. Family, then start practicing the "walk your talk" with your closest friends, then spread out to notice the people around you as you do your daily errands, work your job, commute. Then take it to the people outside your "beltway".
I am about politic-ed out. Two more nights of the second convention, plus all the hype and too many talking-head discussions. This is where loving your neighbor really gets hard. When will we learn we have one nation to love and take care of, protect and serve? Not divide and win, pull down and stomp on. How do I love (either side) people that look for the most damaging information they can find, just to use it to take someone else down. Where is forgiveness, patience, just plain old civility?
I know it starts with me. I need to overlook, forgive, realize these are egos vastly out of whack. Crippled egos that are not looking for guidance from the Holy Spirit. I need to look at these people as children of God, God's creations that God loves. Try to love them with Christlike love. I am really trying, but this is difficult. Only prayer and constant reminder of God's love for all will keep me trying to see past the horrible things that are being done in the cause of winning an election.
You know when you sincerely start to work on this it is really hard, and I hate to admit that. It hurts to admit you are having trouble with a direction from Christ that sounds so Christian-like. So basic. I always try to start these soul searching, walk the path improvements close to home. Family, then start practicing the "walk your talk" with your closest friends, then spread out to notice the people around you as you do your daily errands, work your job, commute. Then take it to the people outside your "beltway".
I am about politic-ed out. Two more nights of the second convention, plus all the hype and too many talking-head discussions. This is where loving your neighbor really gets hard. When will we learn we have one nation to love and take care of, protect and serve? Not divide and win, pull down and stomp on. How do I love (either side) people that look for the most damaging information they can find, just to use it to take someone else down. Where is forgiveness, patience, just plain old civility?
I know it starts with me. I need to overlook, forgive, realize these are egos vastly out of whack. Crippled egos that are not looking for guidance from the Holy Spirit. I need to look at these people as children of God, God's creations that God loves. Try to love them with Christlike love. I am really trying, but this is difficult. Only prayer and constant reminder of God's love for all will keep me trying to see past the horrible things that are being done in the cause of winning an election.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Self Righteous Forgiveness
...forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
In golf, after you hit a crummy shot that lands 42 yards to the left of your target in the bushes covered with prickly things, you are supposed to shake it off and forget it. Don't let it bother you or it will affect your next shot. I noticed in many of the Olympic events the commentators saying "so-in-so" gymnast/swimmer/runner should forget some error in their performance and get on with it. Forgive your self for the mistake and go on. Forgive and forget.
I have been spending a lot of time in my prayer chair lately doing the forgive and forget thing. I heard a sermon not long ago on the Lord's Prayer and the part on forgiveness. "Forgive as..." I think all Pastors preach on that now and again. So I have been forgiving right and left. Little slights, big earth shattering hurts, heartbreaking hurts, bringing up memories and making lists. Forgiving everybody for everything. Boy, did I feel good.
This morning something I read triggered my spirit to show me how self righteous I had become about my forgiving. I seemed to have left out a huge part of this process. Whom did I need to ask to forgive me. I have been so wrapped up in my forgiving and forgetting, I forgot to make a list of those I have hurt, slighted, ignored or just plain been mean to. Bet I can tell you right now which list will be longer !!
Now, I am not belittling the time I spent in my chair praying for the Holy Spirit to help me forgive and forget with Christ's love in my heart. No siree. I really know with the help of the Spirit I have come a long way in putting the past behind me. But I have been so one side these last few days.
Back to the chair to look into my heart for those situations I need to lay bare and put before the Throne. Thank you Creator, that you forgive and forget, help me be honest in my plea for forgiveness and bless those that forgive me.
In golf, after you hit a crummy shot that lands 42 yards to the left of your target in the bushes covered with prickly things, you are supposed to shake it off and forget it. Don't let it bother you or it will affect your next shot. I noticed in many of the Olympic events the commentators saying "so-in-so" gymnast/swimmer/runner should forget some error in their performance and get on with it. Forgive your self for the mistake and go on. Forgive and forget.
I have been spending a lot of time in my prayer chair lately doing the forgive and forget thing. I heard a sermon not long ago on the Lord's Prayer and the part on forgiveness. "Forgive as..." I think all Pastors preach on that now and again. So I have been forgiving right and left. Little slights, big earth shattering hurts, heartbreaking hurts, bringing up memories and making lists. Forgiving everybody for everything. Boy, did I feel good.
This morning something I read triggered my spirit to show me how self righteous I had become about my forgiving. I seemed to have left out a huge part of this process. Whom did I need to ask to forgive me. I have been so wrapped up in my forgiving and forgetting, I forgot to make a list of those I have hurt, slighted, ignored or just plain been mean to. Bet I can tell you right now which list will be longer !!
Now, I am not belittling the time I spent in my chair praying for the Holy Spirit to help me forgive and forget with Christ's love in my heart. No siree. I really know with the help of the Spirit I have come a long way in putting the past behind me. But I have been so one side these last few days.
Back to the chair to look into my heart for those situations I need to lay bare and put before the Throne. Thank you Creator, that you forgive and forget, help me be honest in my plea for forgiveness and bless those that forgive me.
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