forgiveness

Forgiveness

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breathe, you can begin to clear your mind.–

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “forgive”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “me”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, o God! You are my help and my deliverer; o Lord, do not delay! Psalm 70:5

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
    O Lord, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and confusion
    who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who desire to hurt me.
Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!”
    turn back because of their shame.

Let all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

Psalm 70

I do not have people who are wishing me harm at this point in my life. There have been times I could list people who were seeking to do me harm. At times, if asked, I would list people as being my enemies, and yet these people were not as concerned about me as I thought they were. They were just trying to live their life in the midst of a tough situation. When I came to realize that those I think are doing me harm are really just trying to live their life in the best way they can, I began to think differently about who my enemy was. I do not see that many enemies in my life now. Instead, I see people who are struggling.

Jesus said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Part of loving your enemies is offering them the grace that Christ has given you. By remembering that they have lives that are just as hard as yours are, sometimes even harder, we are able to give our enemies grace in the midst of a tough world.

  • Who are your enemies?
  • Take some time to put yourself in your enemies’ shoes.
  • What might be happening in their lives?

-You might want to write your response down.-

Forgiving God, thank you for your forgiveness, and please help me to forgive my enemies. God, it is hard to forgive those I do not like, and even harder to forgive those who do not like me. Please be with me as I strive to forgive. Oh Lord do not delay. Amen

Forgiven

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “I am”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Forgiven”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:8-13

As I walk on the sand at the beach I am amazed at how the wind and water erase all traces of activity. The wind blows over the foot prints whether they are human, bird, dog, deer, vehicle or something else. All that is left are ripples in the sand. In the same way the water rises, and washes away all trace of what was on the sand before it. This reminds me of the working of the Spirit in our lives. (Jesus compared the Spirit of God to the wind in John chapter 3 verse 8.) The wind blowing away all traces of what has gone before is a reminder for me of God removing my sin, mistakes, and transgressions. They have been removed like the wind blowing over the sand.

There are some mistakes that I tend to dwell on. They are the ones I cannot forget or even at times forgive. Walking on the beach and watching the waves, helps me remember these mistakes, sins, and transgressions are forgiven. I practice watching the wind and waves just to remind myself how forgiven I am.

-please take a moment to do one of the things listed below.-

  • Try taking a walk in the sand or by water.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being washed out to sea.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being blown away with the wind.

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “I am”
  • Breath out: “Forgiven”

Forgiving God, we are so blessed to have your forgiveness. Help us to receive your forgiveness when we have trouble receiving your free gift of forgiveness. Remind us that you are with us throughout our lives, and walk alongside us in our journey. Amen