Posts Tagged ‘unforgiveness’

No One’s Perfect…Yet

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

A senior gentleman from our church recently said, “My memory is like Teflon. Nothing sticks!” I howled with laughter because I could relate. How about you? Seems that, while age advances, one’s memory retreats. Other changes take place, too—some more obvious than others. We leak and creak. We wrinkle and sag. Physically, we’re far from perfect.

Spiritually, we’re far from perfect, too. We lose our temper. We become offended when we feel our rights are violated. We say things we shouldn’t. We struggle with unforgiveness, envy, and lust. We make choices based on emotion rather than truth. Apart from Christ, we’d be a sorry mess—flawed beyond redemption.

Believe it or not, no one’s perfect. That reality could discourage us, but let’s not allow it to do so. The enemy of our souls loves to remind us of our flaws by hissing accusations such as “You keep messin’ up! You’re such a loser! You’re beyond hope, buddy,” but let’s refuse to listen. At the same time, let’s also be cautious not to excuse sin with a flippant, “Oh well, no one’s perfect” attitude.

Instead, let’s do as Paul did. He acknowledged that he wasn’t perfect, but he would do his best to try, knowing that someday perfection would be his. He said, “I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it (perfection), but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us” (Philippians 3:12-14).

My guess is that your imperfections will show up somewhere this week. I don’t have to guess about mine—I KNOW they’ll make an appearance at some point and time. But I also know this: someday, when I reach heaven, I’ll be rid of those pesky imperfections. No more spiritual flaws. And guess what? No more physical flaws, either. I can’t wait! How about you?

Photo courtesy: Dreamstime.com

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Free!

Monday, September 26th, 2011

I wish you could have heard the women sing at this weekend’s retreat: “I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for you, I am free!” Their voices, filled with enthusiasm, nearly lifted the roof. And their actions tickled me from the inside out.

Someone in the front row could not contain her joy. She grabbed her neighbor’s hand and together they stepped away from their chairs. They cruised the room in step to the music, their arms reaching toward heaven. A couple dozen others followed their example. Celebration filled the air. It’s been a long time since I’ve sensed such joy-filled, uninhibited freedom within a group of believers, and boy, oh boy, was it refreshing!

As believers, we have every reason to sing and dance. After all, Christ purchased our freedom when He died and rose again. Because of His great love for us, we are no longer slaves to sin and its destructive forces. We are free. Free. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Christ said, “I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light’” (Isaiah 49:9). He’s all about our freedom. Do you feel trapped today by worry? Despair? Unforgiveness? Disappointment? A besetting sin? If so, move your focus from your circumstances and inadequacies to the One who’s beckoning you to better things. “Come out in freedom,” He says. “Leave your chains behind.”

Christ’s invitation to “come out” kinda reminds me of His words to Lazarus – “Come out from the grave!” I can see it now—the once-dead man now singing, “I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for you, I am free!” Imagine the vigor and enthusiasm in his voice!

We should be as grateful. We who were once dead in our sins are now free indeed. Let’s stay that way. Let’s not let worry, despair, unforgiveness, disappointments, and besetting sins capture and control us any longer.

We are free! That’s worth celebrating! Do you agree?

Photo courtesy: Dreamstime

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A Single, Life-Altering Thought

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Canada celebrated the late Queen Victoria’s birthday last weekend. I celebrated, too, by turning off my computer and escaping for two days alone with my husband. It was so restful that I’d be tempted to do it again this weekend if I wasn’t speaking in Edmonton!

This bald eagle perched on a tree, overlooking the park where we re-created for a day.

While on this mini-retreat, I played Scrabble, reflected, and read. The book I’d picked up was titled Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones. The content didn’t capture my imagination and whisk me away to another place and time, but it did challenge me to think about how I prepare my messages. Over and over, it reminded me to focus on one single thought rather than dispel too much information. Good stuff. I recommend this book to anyone who does public speaking.

Anyway, I returned home on Monday evening. Early the next morning, I settled into my black leather loveseat, coffee and Bible in hand. “What do You have for me today?” I asked the Lord as I opened my journal and wrote the day’s date.

These are the verses I read: “In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me, he will help me” (Psalm 118:5,6).

I read these Scriptures with a question in mind: What single thought grabs me? The answer came back: “The Lord is for me.” The statement is simple but life-altering! Imagine!

God – the One who spoke the universe into being – is for us!

God – the One for whom nothing is impossible – is for us!

God – who conquered death once for all – is for us!

Sometimes we think of God as the big guy who sits in the heavens and hovers over us with a baseball bat, watching for our failures and waiting to clobber us for doing wrong. But these Scriptures paint a much different picture.

God is for us. He loves us. He died for us. He cheers for us, like a parent in the grandstand cheers for her child who runs the bases after swinging the bat and hitting the ball. He wants us to succeed, to shed the gunk that weighs us down—fear, unforgiveness, anger, shame, and the like—and run with endurance and success the race that is before us.

Tonight I’ll be speaking to a group of nearly 400 women. Tomorrow evening I’ll speak to another group the same size. I’ll be honest—I feel nervous. What if I mess up during my presentation? What if I forget my train of thought? The possibility makes my heart ker-thump and sets butterflies loose in my tummy.

But then I remember this single, life-altering thought: The Lord is for me. I’ll meditate on it as I drive to the venue, and throughout the evening as the clock ticks toward my time on stage. The Lord is for me. He will help me. The Lord is for me. I will not fear.

Take this single thought and make it your focus for the day, my friend. Then take a moment and tell us how it applies to you.

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Accountability

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

The principle of accountability changed my life. I still remember the day someone explained it to me as I grieved my broken engagement.

“The way your fiancé has treated you is wrong,” said one of my professors. “God will hold him accountable for his attitude and actions.” His words filled me with a sense of smug anticipation, but not for long. “Yes, God will hold him accountable for what he’s done,” repeated the prof. “But He’ll hold you accountable for your attitude toward this young man.”

I reveled in the thought of my former fiancé losing a few jewels in his heavenly crown but the thought of my being in the same boat was another story. I tried to imagine myself fidgeting before God someday, scrambling to justify my resentment. That thought unnerved me. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” met my liking far more. And so, I began to deal with my attitude, confessing the anger and bitterness and asking God to change my heart. I didn’t experience overnight results, but in the end, I enjoyed inward freedom.

Thirty years later, the principle of accountability continues to challenge me. Anytime I feel slighted or hurt, I recall my professor’s wisdom based on Hebrews 4:13—“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” No matter how unfairly another person treats me, I’m responsible for my attitude. I can’t control what they do or say, but I can control how I respond…and I must.

If Christ lives in me, there’s no room for resentment or unforgiveness.

How has the principle of accountability impacted your life?

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