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"If
someone has hurt you, unknowingly, do you want them to suffer?" |
Aughts
are mental. And the mind can definitely be healed and renewed!
My youngest son, Zion, while
playing basketball in the room, was inadvertently struck in the mouth by
our middle child whose name is Loren. As Zion began to 'voice his
displeasure through the amazing gift of crying,' I called out to him.
"Zion, come in here!" I said to him.
I sat on a chair and Zion
came running in with all of his might, and sat on my lap. I said,
"What happened Bop?" 'Bop' is his nickname. He began to say
that Loren had accidentally hit him on the mouth while they were playing
with this basketball hoop I had purchased for his birthday. And he
sounded quite angry about it as well.
So, I began to say to him,
"Do you want me to spank Loren for doing that to you?"
"No sir" he replied. I said, "Do you want me to hit his
mouth the way he hit yours?" "No sir" he replied again. I
said, "Do you want me to punish him?" "He's already
punished," Zion said. (smile)
Then I asked, "Did
Loren say that he was sorry?" And Zion replied, "Yes sir, he
did." So the only thing to do now was to forgive him. So Zion got
up, smiled, put his arm around Loren, and said "I forgive
you." Now let's go in the room and play!
If someone has hurt you,
unknowingly, do you want them to suffer? Do you want those who may have
offended you, 'to die?' Do you want |
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destruction
to enter their lives? If they have hurt you, and said that they were
very sorry, 'would you still tell someone else what they did?' Would you
still 'harbor an offense, even when the offender has said, "I'm so
sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Would you still 'keep room in the
heart for pain, even when the balm has been applied?"
Forgiving the contrite 'will
release the keys to the Playground of Life and Power.' When forgiveness
has been 'given,' it will create unity amongst brothers. In this life,
we all will be inadvertently struck in the mouth. But we have also been
given the power 'to give freedom' to the offender.
- If we do not want our
offender to die, then we can forgive.
- If we do not want our
offended to suffer, then we can forgive.
- If we do not want our
offender to be punished by God, then we can forgive.
- If we do not want our
offender to be wounded, then we can forgive.
- If we do not want our
offender to be subjected to the same measure of pain that we have
received, then we can forgive
True enough, there are
relationships and measures of rule that we all have outgrown in life.
All of us have been offended, or have offended someone, in this life.
Some things may have been unknown. Then again, some things that been
obviously blatant 'in one form or another.' But if we do not desire
death, pain, or judgment for the one who has inadvertently 'hit us in
the mouth,' we have the power 'to readily give freedom, and the capacity
to join our friends on the playground!' |
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Jesus
even took it another step. Even if one 'offends you on purpose, do you
want them to die?' Do you want them to suffer? Do you want them to be
wounded? He said that our righteousness must 'exceed the righteousness
of the Pharisees!' Say this to yourself, "Do I want those who have
offended me to die?" "Do I want those who have offended me to
be wounded in the same manner as me?" "Do I want those who
have stricken me to be subjected to the same measure of pain that I have
received?"
You may feel the pain indeed,
but if you want the offenders to be made whole, 'believe me, you have
the capacity to give freedom to those who are being held captive in
bitterness, while a trip to the Playground awaits.
If this can't be, what then is
forgiveness? And why does it matter? And what is it all about?
I guess those with the power to
forgive, as well as the heart to forgive, are the most abused people in
the world. And by being sons of God, we too, possess the power and heart
to forgive. As well as the Grace to endure the inward abuse that comes
with being taken for granted..
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Endurance |