Have You Ever
Have you ever thought something terrible about someone? No, me either. Just kidding. Of course I have, so have you. Ever thought something kinda negative about someone? Yea, me too. Unfortunately the dialogue in your head is just as real as the words coming out of your mouth, and just as real as the actions displayed by your life.
Ever heard these thoughts rattling around inside your mind?
- What was he thinking?
- I’m not valuable. No one needs me.
- I can’t believe she did that.
- I would never do that.
- How could I be so stupid.
- I don’t trust them.
and the list compiles…
These subtle thoughts seem harmless, but when offenses and lies are left alone, they are deadly. There’s this idea that if we’re not hurting another person, then it can’t be wrong. It’s not true. Sin, even just inside our minds, is still sin. No matter how we’ve justified it.
Once a thought has sprouted in the mind, it enters the heart and eventually it comes out in action. Personally, when I’m not paying attention, or maybe when I give in to laziness, I save up all my negative thoughts, and let them turn into unforgiveness towards the offender.
We happen to have a small vegetable garden in our backyard. We love that at the end of the summer tomatoes and peppers and squash will begin to appear. The only problem is that weeds appear too. At the beginning I was good about picking out even the smallest weed. Then I got busy, then we went on vacation. A couple weeks ago I went to check and had to look really hard for the actual plants, the weeds were bigger and unrecognizable.
If I don’t deal with the thoughts inside my head, eventually my heart will become tainted and unforgiveness will make itself a comfortable place to grow. When unforgiveness grows, it takes over, quickly. Just like weeds. It shows itself in ugly forms.
If you and I are going to be like Jesus, we must live in a place of constant forgiveness. Jesus was never beyond forgiveness. He forgave sins, but he also forgave the small offenses. The opportunity to be offended, hurt, sinned against is there every day. So, How do we handle daily living in forgiveness? Is it just the big deal breaker situations that we work on forgiving? Or, are we prepared to forgive with no limit?
In Matthew 18:21-22 the disciples question Jesus on the number of times they should forgive. Do you think Jesus really meant that we only need to forgive 70 x 7 (that’s 490) times? I’m pretty sure he wasn’t referring to a number, but to the condition of forgiveness. There are NO LIMITS when it comes to forgiveness. Jesus didn’t limit his forgiveness, to me, to you, or to the worst of sinners (um, that would be you and me also).
Let’s be people who live with a condition of forgiveness. Let’s forgive each other and forgive ourselves (quickly). Let’s live in freedom, so our hearts and minds and actions can be ready and useful to do good and show grace.
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
Check out People of the Second Chance for more on radical forgiveness!
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