"Whenever the real self becomes apparent, the ideal self will judge it, and try to make it hide. And when we are hiding, we are not in relationship with God and others." ~Henry Cloud in Changes that Heal. (From Part 4 about sorting out good and bad, specifically in a section about how we tend to live as if we are our ideal selves.)
September 08, 2014
September 01, 2014
Verse of the Day
HEB 12:14-15 NIV
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Forgiveness can be a hard thing. Sometimes when I think about it, I only think about it being a command. God says to forgive just as Christ forgives. So sometimes I only begin to think of forgiveness as a command that I don't want to break and then eventually compassion, healing and grace come.
I've also thought of forgiveness as a way to prevent and end bitterness. It's no fun to have bitterness; sometimes it's worse than the initial offense. So, especially for an offense in which the offender is not asking for forgiveness, I find myself realizing I don't want to be bitter and head towards forgiveness from there.
These verses provide another reason to head towards forgiveness, and that's to not prevent God's grace. God chooses to show grace through us sometimes. We want to join God in His pursuit of others and choice to bless others. I don't want to be like Jonah and say Nineveh (my offender) doesn't deserve grace. That leads to bitterness or a being swallowed by a fish...