After a long weekend of terribly tempting situations, I woke up to find that by not giving in and sticking strictly to my diet guidelines I've lost a whopping 8 pounds!!! Seeing results like that are better than any General Tso's Chicken or Apple Pie I could've indulged in and make every hunger and craving worth it!
I want to make this about more than weight loss though. While that is a big part of my life right now, it's not everything by any means. When I was driving home on my lunch break today, I was wondering what I could write about today, and God brought to mind a thought he had given me a few months ago (again while driving) that I never shared. It was about forgiveness.
At the time, I was really struggling with letting go of a certain situation in which I felt betrayed by someone I trusted. I said that I wasn't mad anymore, but anytime the person was around I was instantly reminded of the hurt and had to physically walk away to keep from showing my frustration. I was in my car and heard the song "Manifesto" by The City Harmonic on the radio for the first time. If you've not heard it, you should you tube it (after you read this ;), it's awesome. In one part he sings the Lord's Prayer. If you've grown up in church (or even if you haven't) you're probably familiar with it enough to quote it, but as I was singing along a lump in my throat stopped me at the line "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us." That line hit me right in the face- how much more have I betrayed God than anyone on earth has ever betrayed me? How many more times have I hurt Him than I have ever been hurt by anyone? And how much farther did He go to forgive me than I would ever have to go to simply let go of another's offense? And how much purer and complete is the forgiveness He has shown me (countless times over) than the forgiveness I show to others?
I am so glad that when I offend God, He is faithful and just to forgive me! He doesn't hold on to a cosmic grudge and gossip about how wrong I was to anyone who will listen! He doesn't say I'm forgiven only to bring it back up next time I drop the ball! Praise Him that He doesn't change who He is or how He loves! That being said, when we pray to be forgiven only to the degree to which we show forgiveness to others, it isn't going to change the way that God forgives us, but rather it should change the way that we forgive others (drastically!)! Obviously we are human, and unable to show the complete and perfect forgiveness offered to us by God, but if we forgive in the way we want to be forgiven (especially in the light of the way we ARE forgiven and the price that bought that forgiveness) I think we will be quicker to let go of our grudges and eager to forgive more completely.
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