How long do you
harbor offenses? I mean someone lies on
you; maybe even slander your good name.
How long do you choose to be upset with that person? Are you irritated
every time you hear their name or see them?
Are you waiting for their day of doom or for karma to take place?
Now, let me flip
just a bit. When have you lied on
someone, maybe even slandered their name? I know you would never do it on
purpose. You may have simply repeated
what was told to you by reliable source.
It could have been that your side of the story was just so different
from theirs. Nevertheless, when have you
committed offenses towards others and knew it, either instantly or later? When you realized that you were wrong, did
you acknowledge, confess, and ask for forgiveness? When you asked forgiveness, how soon did you
really want it? How does it make you
feel when others’ forgiveness of you is delayed?
I ask these
questions simply to help provoke objectivity.
When we find others’ wrongdoing towards us as offensive, then at that
very moment we are no longer thinking objectively. We have now taken things personally, which
means that we have become subjective; yet, we want others to keep an open mind
when it comes to our mishaps with them.
The basic rule for forgiveness is the same golden rule for everything,
simply “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Forgive others just as you would like to be
forgiven.
The ultimate goal
of course is not to take offense at all.
You may ask, “how do I shake it off when people are lying on me?” My
answer is, “Jesus did it!” We are made in His likeness, so we are able to do
the same. When people lie on you and
drag your name through the mud, their actions are a reflection of their character. When people believe them and continue to
spread the news that they don’t know to be true or false, their actions are
also a sign of their own issues. People who have joy, peace, love, and respect
in their hearts don’t gossip nor do they entertain it. So, the gossiping, lying, and backbiting is
not about you unless you are the one doing it.
Therefore, if you choose to be offended at your naysayer’s actions,
please forgive quickly; but, the grandest goal is not to have to forgive but to
never become offended.
Father, I thank
you for my sisters reading this at this moment.
I ask that you remove any anger, malice, and resentment from their heart
that has taken root. I pray that their
eyes are opened to their own ways and that they remained focused on their own
journey and aim to never participate in the things in which they find offensive
when they are on the opposite end. Lord,
I ask that after heart surgery is performed and all of the unforgiveness is
removed, that you fill the hole with confidence, peace, purity of speech, and
truth. Thank you, Lord! Amen!
#IAmMySistersKeeper
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