Forgiveness

Forgiveness is an essential part of following Christ and loving others. (See Mark 11:25.) It saddens me when those who profess to be Christian say, "I will never forgive" someone for what they have done. Christ never said it would be easy to follow him. Instead Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me," indicating that the path on the narrow road and through the narrow gate would be difficult. (See Luke 14:27; Matthew 7:13.)

I admit to having some fear and trepidation in sharing my story with millions around the world in The Upper Room. Fear is often born of the unknown. Courage is running toward your fear or volunteering for a situation that is fearful. I have a terrible fear of public speaking. To try to overcome my fear, I joined a local Toastmasters club. Later I volunteered to be a temporary-duty training instructor for our new hires. I put myself in a position where I had no choice but to speak in front of a class of trainees. Towards the end of the class, it is customary for attendees to critique your class anonymously. Some of the criticism was brutal. Despite the fact I was still learning to teach the courses, I found some of the comments painful. However, I understood that the point was to see where I was lacking and to improve my teaching skills. I told the class on the last day that I read all their comments, I appreciated their honesty, and I told them that I would try to do better. Despite my inexperience as an instructor, I found the experience to be immensely rewarding—brutal critiques and all. 

My devotional story has opened a conversation with my dad about a painful time in our family (I shared one of my Upper Room copies with him). I found our conversation to be comforting and reassuring. Anytime we, as Christians, can open the door to difficult conversations with gentleness and love and without judgment, we are reflecting the light of Christ in a dark world. Listening in conversation is an important skill and well worth developing. One technique I learned during a training session is to repeat back what was said but in slightly different words after whoever is speaking has finished. If your understanding is correct, the speaker is reassured that you are truly listening. If you misunderstood, he or she can tell you.

I enjoy studying the Bible. Sometimes Bible study can be too structured, or the study questions do not allow for in-depth discussions of the scriptures. Instead of questions like, "How does this scripture make you feel," how about asking, "What did Jesus mean when he said….?" or, "How would you interpret this scripture?" I like discussing and debating the scriptures. I enjoy the various interpretations even when I might not agree. That is how I learn. To me, the Bible is a beautiful, poetic "love letter" from God to God's children. It reveals God through Jesus. (See John 14:8-11.) For me, the word of God is so magnificent. It is beauty, truth, mystery, revelation, "a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105). I long to be like Mary at the feet of Jesus, listening in awe to his every word (Mattew 13:17).