Forgiveness

I had one of the best moments of my life recently.  It wasn't one of those moments that you plan for all of your life.  It was a chance meeting in a very ordinary place.  I ran into someone that had hurt me very badly.  So badly that I wondered if I could truly forgive them.  I knew that God had forgiven them, but could I?  Does God REALLY want us to forgive others, the way that He forgives us?  Are we capable of that?

Until a few days ago I wasn't sure.  He had asked for forgiveness many years ago, when the wound was still too raw.  I had forgiven him then, as much as I could, because I knew that I had to.  I knew God required it of me, but I knew I wasn't there yet.  I have wondered since then if I had really forgiven him.  When I saw him coming towards me, I did not have to catch my breath.  I did not have a twinge of bitterness.  I saw him as an old friend that I missed.  I felt free of any bitterness or hatred that I had ever felt.  I knew without a doubt that all of the bitter waters that had flowed over us were past, they had done their work, and were gone out to sea.

It was one of the best moments of my life, because I knew I was free.  It was like being pronounced cancer free after a long struggle with therapy.  I felt that weight of the unknown leave me.  Knowing that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness, and that I have that forgiveness in Christ is glorious.  Knowing that I also have the power to forgive the sins of others is maybe even more glorious. It means that no one can steal my joy.  I know that there will be more bumps.  There will be other people to knock me down, and mess with my stuff.  More importantly I know that their sins do not have to weigh me down.  Jesus died for those sins too.  Not only do I get to nail my sins to the cross, I get to nail the sins of others to the cross.

#90-98

The simplicity of the things we truly need.

The tiny noises you catch when things are quiet.  The sound of snow flakes hitting the earth, trickling water, breathing, a purring cat, rain.

The first shoots of green that break through the mud in the spring.

Sisters cuddled up on the couch watching "chick flicks."

Flannel sheets

Children's art work, even when it is directly on the wall.

Friends, sometimes I just need to talk to someone who "gets it."  They always give me a fresh perspective on my small world.

The power of prayer, and the humbleness of it.  Dropping to your knees, knowing that God alone hears and cares about all of our needs.