Forgiveness

I've been thinking this morning about unforgiveness.  
In my 20+ years of experience, working with students, it never ceases to amaze me at how people so young, can become so angry and bitter.


I have a pretty solid theory on that one, but that amount of information and opinion would take up another blog post on its own.  (let's suffice it to say, that their behaviors are learned, by observing the adults in their lives.)


To their credit, most students are quick to forgive and move on with life...but there are those who seem bent on holding on to anger, bitterness and out and out hatred.
Unfortunately, what many students and adults, for that matter, fail to realize is; anger, bitterness and hatred only hold us captive.  
They accomplish nothing of value and have no effect on the object of our loathing.


Think of a person against whom you are holding a grudge or harboring unforgiveness... What exactly are those feelings doing to them?  
Now, conversely, what is it doing to you?
Robbing you of joy, peace of mind, happiness...the full life that Jesus promised?  Your thoughts are consumed with how to get even, or exact some sort of twisted sense of satisfaction from their suffering.
The problem is:
The longer we linger in unforgiveness and bitterness, the longer we do damage to ourselves and more importantly, hinder the work that God is trying to do in us.


When we are wronged, or when someone we know is offended, we have a choice to make; forgive and let the offense go or hold on to it and nurse the grudge until it has consumed us...


Forgiveness brings freedom.  Period.  Unforgiveness, only brings bondage.


Forgiveness is one of the most important and powerful tools we possess in this life.


Too bad we don't use it as readily as we should.

Sensory Recall

It has always boggled my mind at how memories are attached to smells...
our brain, that amazing lump of mush, nestled safe behind the bulk of our skull, sends out these little electronic impulses whenever a particular smell happens to waft through the air in our general vicinity, recalling joys and pains of days gone by.
Today it is the smell of plywood burning as a saw cuts through its length and breadth.
I love that smell. It reminds me of spending time with my grandfather...
If you know me, you know that my grandfather is one of the most important and influential people in my life.
That smell of burning plywood and the whine of a circular saw, reminds me of countless hours spent working on some little project in his wood shop or garage.
I love those times with him. Not only do I love them for the things we created and the time we spent, but for the knowledge and wisdom I gained from just being around him.
One such nugget of wisdom mined out of conversation with my grandfather is to always make sure that my energy and activity finds its source in my relationship with Jesus.
For instance, when fall rolls around, it brings a sense of security, with its predictable routine and schedule of activity.
Danger also lurks there in that daily routine. In our going and coming and doing, we are lured into this false sense of security, that with well scheduled and predictable routine comes order. The opposite is almost inevitably true. Because deep beneath the surface of our serene exterior lies a maelstrom of conflict and chaos.
You see, we often mistake our busyness for growth and productivity when it comes to our relationship with Christ. When in reality, we allow the activity to replace the relationship, and we find ourselves in this spiritual wasteland, starving for the very thing we think we are achieving through work or effort.
Relationship never flows out of activity that occurs purely for activities sake.
Our activity has to flow out of our relationship with Christ. It is there that we find our rhythm and rhyme. Without Him, we are like a leaf tossed on the wind of circumstance, going wherever the storms of life blow us, purposeless and angry. Because no matter how much we achieve, or think we achieve, it is empty and meaningless unless God is the originator.
So grab yourself a hand saw or some beefy cutting tool and go to work on the plywood of your life and allow Christ to burn some meaningful memories into your soul as he guides your hands through the busyness of the day.