The things we are asked to do as followers of Christ can be pretty hard to swallow when they run decidedly against the cultural norm. Consider when St. Paul wrote in Romans 12: 14 Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.
Can we put that on the bulletin board at the little league games? Considering the language and behavior of some parents I have endured, little league is often not a place for children's ears. Oh, drat, I bet I'm supposed to bless those people too.
I mean how crazy does this get? I'm supposed to not just bear the crotchety neighbor and the rude girl at the drive through, but consider ways to be a blessing to them? How about the person who sold drugs to my child or drove drunk and killed my parent? This following Christ can get really tough.
But when I have been blessed by reading or hearing someone who has made these tough choices, they are never sorry they did this. They speak of being free of the burden of rage. They speak of being able to be more fully available to surviving family members when they are not focused on the loss. They speak of mercy given and amazing grace received. Sometimes they speak of amazing relationships, but not everyone we need to forgive is ready to accept forgiveness. It is interesting that God does not require me to get "them" to do anything. God simply asks me to trust God so radically that I place my need for God's healing ahead of rage based choices that are hurting me and those I love every day I continue to lug them around.
Wow, maybe my puny little resentments and bruised feelings are not such difficult things to surrender when the pay-off is so amazing.
Can we put that on the bulletin board at the little league games? Considering the language and behavior of some parents I have endured, little league is often not a place for children's ears. Oh, drat, I bet I'm supposed to bless those people too.
I mean how crazy does this get? I'm supposed to not just bear the crotchety neighbor and the rude girl at the drive through, but consider ways to be a blessing to them? How about the person who sold drugs to my child or drove drunk and killed my parent? This following Christ can get really tough.
But when I have been blessed by reading or hearing someone who has made these tough choices, they are never sorry they did this. They speak of being free of the burden of rage. They speak of being able to be more fully available to surviving family members when they are not focused on the loss. They speak of mercy given and amazing grace received. Sometimes they speak of amazing relationships, but not everyone we need to forgive is ready to accept forgiveness. It is interesting that God does not require me to get "them" to do anything. God simply asks me to trust God so radically that I place my need for God's healing ahead of rage based choices that are hurting me and those I love every day I continue to lug them around.
Wow, maybe my puny little resentments and bruised feelings are not such difficult things to surrender when the pay-off is so amazing.
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