The Important Thing I Forgot To Tell You

Over the bad, bad summer I had to flick the forgiveness card upon the table. More than once.

If you don't play that card? Your soul goes dark and you stay mad at the people who hurt you. And even ones who didn't. (Unforgiveness spreads like wild Creeping Charlie.)

You lose the desire to love. You don't sow pleasantness, so neither do you reap it. Your creativity fades.

You climb down into Sad Holes where you used to always kneel before you knew better. You become weaker.

You morph into a party pooper; you forget how to have fun and resent those who remember. And you can age ten years in ten moments.

You experience unforgiveness like a black crayon slowly scribbling over your whole Life until all color is gone.


But Forgiveness? Forgiveness is like flinging open the door and running beneath a warm yellow sun. And experiencing again every good day you ever had.


Oh forgiveness!
Of ourselves. Our weaknesses. Our body.
Our spouse.
Our children.
Our imperfect house or yard or car or job.
Our Life which looks different than we'd imagined in our teens.
Our barely-enough money.
And yes, even forgiveness of God who sometimes allows things which feel horribly unfair.


We cannot ignore forgiveness and still live Good Days. There is no true happiness, friendship with God and bright weeks without choosing forgiveness.

To walk beside God on His Road, we must want peace more than we want to be right. That's just the way it works.

And oh, the freedom in that acceptance.

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"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  ... Ephesians 4:32

"He who forgives ends the quarrel."
- Author Unknown

    

Unforgiveness digs our original hurt deeper, makes it more painful and longer -lasting.


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It's easier to live this life well when we remember there's a better life to come. Patty Griffin sings here a song about that next life.

And just because I love it so much (and it reminds me of dear Clara) here is Making Pies.

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Free Kindle Book:


Complete Novels of Jane Austen

An Hour With George Muller

Live Uncaged

Cabin By The Lake





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