You wanna lose weight? You want to be guaranteed to shed some extra pounds? How bout’ wanting to breathe a little easier? Here is a practical way that you can do just that. One word…. Ready?
FORGIVE.
That is right my friends. We gotta forgive. At one of the ladie’s breakfast I attended last year our speaker (my sistah) spoke to us on FORGIVENESS. She said “If you still have an emotional response to someone OR something (Usually due to pride) then chances are you still have an area where you need to forgive. IF THEY can trigger THAT in you…. Then it is still in you”…. Oh man… I got some work to do… sometimes the emotional response is just holding on to something too… not letting go…. Rotating it…. member that?
Soooo… She reminded us that we can’t function at the level we are called to until we release some of the “stuff we are holding onto. At the very end of the breakfast she challenged us to write down names of people whom we needed to forgive. The first name I jotted down was ME. Yep – I am way to hard on myself and I need to forgive myself . Then I wrote down me again BUT with my maiden name… laugh out loud. Yeah… I wanted to forgive myself for past mistakes I’ve made that may have been still lingerin’. Then I started on my list of people and I couldn’t stop writing. The thing is … I was no different from anyone else in the room. We were all ready to be forgiven and to forgive. This writing exercise helped me to see that I clearly still had some work to do in the forgiveness arena.
So today I ask you this… Are you like ME in some small way? Are there people that still get under your skin? Are there irritants that still seem to annoy you? Have ya asked for help? No, really… Have you asked God to help you FORGIVE? Help you get the junk out? To help you recognize the triggers so you can live better… To help you forgive today and fill the void and remove the bitterness so you –WE- can move forward. That is the Joy of our salvation part. I pray if YOU are reading this YOU will have the courage to forgive. Today….
My favorite example was the BUS EXAMPLE the teacher gave. When we have to keep learning that same lesson over and over it is like we KEEP GETTING on the SAME BUS GOING TO THE SAME PLACE. Ya look over at your neighbor and you are like “Yep… you too –huh? When are we gonna get this?”…. Laugh out loud. I identify with that… sometimes takin’ a little longer to get it…. learn those lessons (Yep –just like my teacher I socialize w pride and anger sometimes) they aren’t good companions either. They stab you in the back. That is for sure… I want to travel with peace and joy. They are easier to get along with …. So enough about my bus rides my friends… ha I don’t wanna lose my main point ….
Need relief today?... One word…. FORGIVE.
Me turning my breakfast notes into a poetic rap.
EMPTY YO PLATE
NO MO’ SUFFOCATE
LET GO OF THE HATE
EMBRACE YOUR FATE
WANNA JOURNEY WELL, AND BE ALL U CAN BE?
THIS HEARS A MESSAGE FOR YOU … AND ME.
LET’S TAKE TRIP TOWARDS FORGIVIN TODAY.
INVITIN’ FREEDOM AND PEACE TO VISIT YOUR WAY.
WHAT “THEY” DID TO YOU MIGHT STILL BE SITTING ON YOUR CHEST.
ISN’T IT TIME TO REMOVE THE WEIGHT SO ALL OF YOU CAN REST.
OH MY FRIENDS, FOR THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK.
HOWEVER, THE FIRST STEP IS SOMETIMES JUST, TO ASK.
IT DOESN’T MEAN FORGET, BUT IT DOES MEAN BE FREE.
FROM ALL THE BONDAGE AND THE SHACKLES CHAINED TO YOU AND ME.
IF BITTERNESS IS TAKING UP RESIDENCE IN YOUR BRAIN.
IT’S TIME TO RELEASE AND GET RID OF THE PAIN.
THINKING OF CHRIST AS HE HUNG ON THE CROSS.
HOW HE DIDN’T SEE HIS SACRIFICE AS A LOSS.
EVEN THROUGH THE PAIN.
HE STILL SAW OUR GAIN.
IN HIS LAST MOMENTS, HE SAID TO US…. “FORGIVE”
HE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED THAT, IN ORDER TO… FULLY LIVE.
FATHER FORGIVE THEM (AND US )… WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.
BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO ME SO THIS AWARENESS RINGS A NEW.