Forgiveness..

Forgiving is not always an easy thing to do......

When my little girls get into a scrap of course I make sure to teach them the importance of apologizing and the art of forgiving...it is an art....it takes practice and a lot of work sometimes but it is always worth it in the end. It is not always easy to forgive your little sister for getting into your special stuff and ripping a page or two from your favourite book....messing up your room you just finished cleaning..eating the last cookie :).....losing your doll's shoes...breaking your tea set...or grabbing the remote control. It is amusing however to watch them apologize and it is very evident whether or not it came from the heart....look for the set jaw..listen to the mumbled words...no eye contact...

The other day my Bug, who has been going on the potty since she was 1 1/2 years old, refused and ended up ruining 3 pairs of panties if you catch my drift.....her drift was not good! Needless to say we both were more than a little upset at bedtime...and she fell asleep with my angry words having been the last thing she heard from me. When I checked on her a short while later, the Lord quietly smote my heart. I had forgotten to let her know that even though she had disobeyed I still loved her. As I gently picked her up...she sleepily wrapped her little arms around my neck and quietly whispered, "I's sawry I pooped in my pannies, Momma"......it was a precious moment!

I was reading in Matthew 18 about the servant, who was forgiven a huge debt, refusing to forgive another......verse 34 and 35 caught my attention. The "tormentors"......who and what were they?? and as I thought about it I realized how much of a torment bitterness and anger and offence can be when you let them into your heart. They take control. Have you ever seen a bitter person? an offended person who won't let go? Their whole life centers on the offence and the person who caused it. Gone is happiness, contentment and satisfaction.....what a sad thing! I have been there....I have refused to forgive....I have thought to myself why should I forgive them when they are not sorry....but I am wrong! God forgave me BEFORE I sinned and I need to extend that same forgiveness to everybody myself. It's not always easy!!! in fact sometimes it is extremely hard to forgive.....but it is always rewarding!

These are my random thoughts for today :D