Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Forgiveness Costs

When I got resigned from one of my ministries many years ago, it was painful. (Ministers sometimes have the option of resigning or being fired. It can be a difficult decision. In my case the elders agreed to keep the terms of our contract (severance) only if I resigned. If I had made them go through the turmoil of firing me and defending their decision to the church, they threatened to turn us out on the street (violating the terms of our contract). We picked up and moved to the edge of the known universe: Florida.

After living in Tampa for a couple of years, we were going back to our previous town to visit. The drive was moving along uneventfully. We were about halfway through our journey when suddenly I became aware of something that was happening to me. I felt this heat that was rising up inside me from deep down. It was the anger and resentment I felt over the circumstance surrounding my resignation.

I had been away for two years. I had prayed about it. I had said, “I forgive them.” And I thought I had meant it. Why was it rising up inside me with such strength and control? I knew that I would see those people I held responsible for those events. I knew that they would want to shake my hand and act like everything was clean, but I felt violated and angry. I had said I forgive them, but I had not and I didn’t really know how.

Once a friend of mine was talking about the power of forgiveness and he told a story of a girl who had been raped yet was able to speak words of forgiveness to her rapest during his trial. She realized something I did not: That forgiveness is the only way to take control of past hurt. Her perpetrator had power over her for a few minutes – if she had held his violation inside her soul she would have given him power over her for the rest of her life. She regained control over her heart and mind by forgiving her attacker. Further, she had the spiritual depth to actually pull it off, to actually forgive and not just to mouth the words.

Later, at a seminar our church was sponsoring, one of my coworkers began by asking the question, “How do you feel about the church?” I thought to myself, “Well, there are some brothers and sisters I am so thankful for; they have loved me far beyond what I deserve. But there are others that I would rather not set near at worship.” I was thinking, again, about those who had hurt me.

But then the speaker reminded me of something I had not considered: “Christ died for his Church. He gave his life to make us presentable.” That is the essence of forgiveness that someone has to take the “hit” and Christ did that for me. And now he expects me to take the “hit” for others. And how can I have fellowship with him if I reject this fact of forgiveness?

As Dell commented, “forgiveness costs.”
Forgiveness

Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

As I spoke these words recently I was thoughtful about the phrase, “forgive us our trespasses (debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

It’s hard to forgive people who have hurt you. It’s even hard to want to. It’s not so hard to say the words, but it is difficult to live them in reality.

Forgiveness starts with a decision and a commitment to righteousness. It is believing that God’s command to forgive others is a righteous command and will bless us. Forgiveness depends on actions before emotions. The actions of forgiveness are prayer for the forgiven one; blessing them in conversation with others by pointing out their good qualities; treating them by the standard of the Golden Rule. Eventually forgiveness is loving the forgiven with genuine affection; being able to acknowledge their fault, yet not defining your relationship solely by it; allowing their other qualities to obscure the fault. Finally, forgiveness defends – just as Jesus has become our advocate.

Blessings,

Don Morrison

Monday, January 26, 2009

Yes, Lord

Before Paul began stumbling around in the darkness, Ananias had adjusted his heart to hear God. As far as we know, God had never spoken to Ananias, personally, before the moment he told him to go visit Saul of Tarsus. And, as far as we know, God had never spoken to Saul until, one day, walking along the road, he was blinded in the same moment that he met God. He lost the vision he had for his life – whatever goals or dreams he may have had immediately faded into the darkness that surrounded him. Where once, he saw clearly, now… nothing.

Ananias, on the other hand, was beginning to see God’s ever-working grace more clearly than he had wanted to imagine. God spoke to him and called him to step into faith. At first he objected, Lord, it’s not safe, Saul (aka Paul) was a dangerous enemy of the faith. Notice that God does nothing to reassure Annanias of his safety, instead, God simply says “Go!” and insists that it is part of his purpose. Ananias obeyed.

I am not sure how much to read into this, but I like the way Ananias begins his conversation with God. God calls him by name and Ananias answers, "Yes, Lord." That’s why I say that Ananias had adjusted his heart to hear God. Saul said, “Who are you , Lord?” which is fine, but Ananias said, “Yes.”

Those two words can say a lot about who we are. They are the most important wards we say. "Yes"..."Lord." Not “no” and not “buddy”. Not “What do you want? Perhaps after I evaluate your request I can give you a better answer.” and not “BFF.”

“Yes” is accepting, affirming, intentional. “Lord” is relationship, priority, humility. That simple phrase says, “I don’t know where this conversation is going, but it is going your way, Jesus.” And then, Ananias and Paul saw things they never imagined. With their eyes and with their hearts they saw mercy and mission as they could not have seen otherwise; mercy and mission that endures beyond that time.

All because Ananias said, “Yes, Lord.”
This from AP. Don't you know neighbors are asking themselves how this could have happened. What can be done to help others? How would you get involved?

93-year-old froze to death, owed big utility bill

Mon Jan 26, 3:32 pm ET
BAY CITY, Mich. – A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home just days after the municipal power company restricted his use of electricity because of unpaid bills, officials said.

Marvin E. Schur died "a slow, painful death," said Kanu Virani, Oakland County's deputy chief medical examiner, who performed the autopsy.

Neighbors discovered Schur's body on Jan. 17. They said the indoor temperature was below 32 degrees at the time, The Bay City Times reported Monday.

"Hypothermia shuts the whole system down, slowly," Virani said. "It's not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they're burning."

Schur owed Bay City Electric Light & Power more than $1,000 in unpaid electric bills, Bay City Manager Robert Belleman told The Associated Press on Monday.
A city utility worker had installed a "limiter" device to restrict the use of electricity at Schur's home on Jan. 13, Belleman said. The device limits power reaching a home and blows out like a fuse if consumption rises past a set level. Power is not restored until the device is reset.

The limiter was tripped sometime between the time of installation and the discovery of Schur's body, Belleman said. He didn't know if anyone had made personal contact with Schur to explain how the device works.

Schur's body was discovered by neighbor George Pauwels Jr.

"His furnace was not running, the insides of his windows were full of ice the morning we found him," Pauwels told the newspaper.

Belleman said city workers keep the limiter on houses for 10 days, then shut off power entirely if the homeowner hasn't paid utility bills or arranged to do so.
He said Bay City Electric Light & Power's policies will be reviewed, but he didn't believe the city did anything wrong.

"I've said this before and some of my colleagues have said this: Neighbors need to keep an eye on neighbors," Belleman said. "When they think there's something wrong, they should contact the appropriate agency or city department."

Schur had no children and his wife had died several years ago.

Bay City is on Saginaw Bay, just north of the city of Saginaw in central Michigan.
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Information from: The Bay City Times, http://www.mlive.com/bay-city
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sincere Love

A mother races to scoop up her toddler who happens to be toddling through the front yard toward the street. She wraps the child into her arms and looks into dancing eyes and giggling smile.

Mother smiles while baby squirms; arms and legs in constant motion; writhing for freedom.
Mother protects, guards, nurtures, teaches, observes, watchfully drinking in the fresh dew of her baby’s morning.
Baby knows love, yet knows nothing of it. Receiving, needing, asking, crying, demanding.
Mother, only loving.

Scripture says,
“Don’t just pretend that you love others: really love them. Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other.”
“When God’s children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow.” (excerpted from Romans 12:9-15 TLB)

God smiles with sincere love for his children. He cares for us and provides for us in ways we cannot even know or understand. We all receive one thing after another from his hand and he is joyfully content to give.

We follow his example of sincerity when we love others in the same way: when we see beyond immaturity or our own selfish evaluations of others and receive one another just as we are. We love sincerely, affectionately, from the heart.