Forgive and Love

 Forgive and Love

 

"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."
(Psalm 103: 2-5)

 

            Grace means that we are forgiven. We all have, in our history, reasons to be forgiven and memories of being forgiven. I pray that all readers find the previous statements true and ask that we think about the many times in our lives when we were down and out, possibly guilt-ridden. Within a family or social structure growing together spiritually so that faults are forgiven creates great landmarks in our lives.

 

            Children often misbehave. Fight over toys, sneak a treat before dinner; the simple things. We almost always forgive them after a consequence. That is a great example of our love. As teens, some behaviors are  more extreme, but we again forgive the behavior and show our love.

 

            When we were growing up, we often had disagreements with our siblings, friends, and neighbors. Most of the time, we forgave each other and grew from the experience.  That's just life. However, each time we forgave someone or were forgiven ourselves, we created a landmark in our lives.

 

            Forgiveness and love are what create family and social landmarks in our lives. They create memories that make us what we are. To be a positive and happy person it is important to be aware of the many times that God's will has generated forgiveness in our lives and be grateful. We have all experienced His grace through these landmark events.

Thought for Today: Realize that God forgives us for our sins. We pass forgiveness to others who have wronged us. Through the act of forgiving others, we receive the reward of "good feelings" and a growing relationship. Let us focus on being tolerant and forgiving of other’s unique qualities and behaviors.

Prayer for Today: Dear Loving God, often we find ourselves offended by the behaviors of others. We have noisy neighbors, careless drivers, inconsiderate fellow employees, and many other factors in our lives. Sometimes it is difficult to be a good Christian when dealing with irritants. This week we pray that we can behave as Christ would behave when tested by our society. We pray that we may display tolerance and love for all. Amen