Let. It. Go.

"...forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)

Unforgiveness is dead weight. Let it go.

 Maybe you are afraid that if you forgive, then your offenders win.

They don't. God is not mocked.

Perhaps you fear that forgiving leaves you exposed and vulnerable. You think your hardness will protect you from being made a fool of or falling for the same offense again.

Hardness is not what you need. Hardness makes you ugly and insensitive.

 Wisdom is your best defense against being fooled again, and the wisest thing you can do is forgive your offenders. 

It’s really not about them and what they did to you. This business of forgiveness is between you and God. When you choose not to forgive, God has an issue with YOU. Your unforgiveness becomes a barrier in your relationship with Him, and I know you don't want that. 

 Forgiving the one who betrayed you, abandoned you, or hurt you is about remembering the massive forgiveness God has extended to you; as a way of loving Him back, you forgive your offenders. Yes, it's that simple. (It's  not easy, but it is simple. )

So ask God to help you let it go. He will!

 Forgiveness is a floaty.

 Unforgiveness is a drowning dead weight.  Let it go.

Leave a Comment: What have you found that makes forgiving easier? Do you need prayer about letting go of bitterness and unforgiveness?

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Do Not Fret- Be Encouraged

The story is told of a farmer who woke up to find  his prized pig had been stolen.  Rather than freak out, call the neighbors to form a search party, or involve the police, the farmer did nothing.  He did whatever it is farmers do all day. He did it for weeks.  Leaning against a pole and chewing a straw one day, a visiting neighbor asked, "So, did you ever find out who stole your pig?"  Without batting an eyelash, the farmer replied, "I just did."

 Psalm 37 says,

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

 For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

  Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;

And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

 

Got anybody in your life who seems to get away with murder? Do they seem to prosper while you struggle? Got any evildoers dogging your every step? Maybe you were done wrong and you never found out who was the culprit.

BE ENCOURAGED.

They may escape the eyes of the police, your boss, or even Uncle Sam,  but as surely as the sun comes up in the morning, they NEVER escape the eyes of the Judge of all the earth. You just keep your own heart and attitude right. Don't fret and fume!  Like our farmer friend,  keep doing what is required of you.  God will not only reward your faithfulness, but He will deal justly with the evildoers in your life.

Talk About It: How do you encourage yourself when wrong seems to go unpunished?

You Are Never Alone

"for He Himself has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (NASB)

You cannot see them in the English, but they are there in the Greek--two sticks of dynamite. Without getting too technical, let’s just say that there are two little particles in the Greek that mean “’never” in the English. Each of those two particles can be used alone, but when you put them together, they are the strongest way to say, “Never ever ever-- NO WAY!” Like two sticks of dynamite, those two particles blast out the possibility of whatever it is describing.  Here it is speaking of the possibility that you might be abandoned.

But wait, there’s more! Look at the verse again.

 It does not just say that God will never ever leave you. It says “He Himself” has said He will never leave you. That is a way of emphasizing that the weight of that promise is not backed by an endorser. It comes straight from the mouth of God Himself!

So….

When you feel lonely…

When no one believes in you…

When you don’t have a clue what to do next…

When you’ve messed up really bad…

When someone messed you up really bad…

When you cry at night so no one will see the tears…

When you are scared to death to do what He’s called you to do for fear of looking foolish…

When no one else understands and you start to wonder if maybe you are the crazy one…

When you have to be a big girl and make it on your own…

When you have burned your bridges with everyone else…

When you are afraid...

When you wouldn’t blame Him if He wanted to leave…

Remember those sticks of dynamite and Who put them there. You are not alone, Princess. You are NEVER alone!

Consider leaving a comment: When have you most needed to remember you are not alone?

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You Are Beautiful Just As You Are

" For we are God's masterpiece." (New Living Translation)

If beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, then you are beautiful just as you are.

 I know something in you shirks back when you read those words. That’s because you tend to focus on the parts you wish to change. To say you are beautiful “as is” seems to ignore your warts and shortcomings.  God sees those too, and yet He says you are beautiful.

Perfect? No.  Beautiful?  Yes.

This is because when God looks at you, He views you through  eyes of love. YOU ARE HIS CREATION. You are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for a purpose. He fashioned you with the gifts that fit perfectly with what He designed you to accomplish.

If you are a mother, you might have a glimpse of  how God sees you. When your child was born, you KNEW he or she was beautiful. Beautiful had nothing to do with their red wrinkles or cone-shaped head or cradle cap. It had everything to do with who they were -a special human being… a  part of you and your family.

 Same with God.

You are beautiful because you are made in His image. Your uniqueness fills a space no one past, present, or future can ever fill. You are one of a kind, and God looks at you with delight and approval. It has nothing to do with what you look like or even how you behave, it has everything to do with who you are. Your being is beautiful because it is a testament to God’s creativity, His marvelous mind and power. It’s true, God don’t make no junk! 

So sing, Dear Princess, because you are loved. Dance because you have value. Laugh because you are a designer original. Rejoice and shine for you are beautiful just as you are. 

$2.50

I was about eight years old. My mother had been busy making dinner and had no way of noticing I was unusually quiet. But later as she saw me slumped over the arm of the sofa looking dejected, she asked, "What's wrong?"

 I was quiet for a moment as I tried to find the words, but I couldn't.  This problem had been brewing for months and had come to a head. My little heart was beating fast, and my mouth got dry.

Mom waited for an answer.

 I burst out crying.

Again, she asked what was troubling me. So between sobs I explained, " My teacher said I have to bring the money for my workbook so she can take my name off that list she has on the board. Whaaaaaah!"

Naturally my mother asked how much she needed to send.

"Two {sniff, sniff}  d-d-dollars( gasp, choke) and fif-fifty cents!" I managed.

That was many years ago, but still I recall the silence that followed after Mama had me fetch her purse.

I am sure you are thinking what she thought all those years ago. Why the tears over two dollars and fifty cents? The truth is,  my eight-year-old mind  thought it would be a strain on the family budget to pay for the school workbook.  I had no way to pay it myself and my teacher had been reminding me over and over that I must bring the fee to school. Two dollars and two quarters bought more back then than it does today, but still, it was not a lot of money. Certainly not worth the tears and agonizing I did over it.

 It was silly.

But is it any sillier than the worrying we do over adult-size problems we won't bring to our even bigger God? We stress,  lose sleep, and even become depressed over  problems that are big to us but are a mere $2.50 to the God Who created the trees from which money is made.

A friend once said to me when I shared there was a BIG mountain in my life  God would have to move if certain things were going to happen, "Georgia, it's JUST a mountain to Jehovah!"

 Do not allow the size of your  problems to block out the size of  your God.

Today, bring your burdens to the Him. Jesus has already issued His invitation to you.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened" (Matthew 11:28).

He also says to throw all your worries on Him. Why? Because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

Whether your burden weighs a ton or costs thousands to fix, it's the same as two dollars and fifty cents to God for whom nothing is impossible.

You Are Not Helpless

I was scrounging for something to buy for dinner at the grocery store after work the other day when something odd caught my eye.

 

 A couple walked past me. 

 

What I saw would have been easy to miss.

The woman was trying hard to control her facial expression, but the tears standing in her eyes betrayed her distress.

 

She was trying not to make a scene, and the tight grip he had above her elbow said she'd better not.

 

  He stared straight ahead, walking with determined steps, subtly dragging her along as she fearfully resisted with a half step behind his. You could tell he had gotten in her head and had ruthless control of her.

 

I've seen this sort of thing before, and it distressed me, but what could I do?

 

 If I'd intervened, he would have told me to mind my own business, and he seemed to have enough control over her she would have insisted nothing was wrong. What was her home life like with this man?  How long has this sort of thing been happening? What stories could their children tell if they could without fear? As I drove home, my heart went out to that woman and I felt helpless.

 

 

 But wait! I was not helpless. There WAS something I could do--something powerful!

 

James 5:16 says," The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. " In other words, prayer could transform that situation. Prayer could bring salvation to both of them. Prayer could give her courage to make decisions to protect herself. Prayer could give him God's perspective on her value as a woman.  Prayer could purge all the unhealthiness which made that painful scene at the grocery store visible.

 

 

So often we see hurting people and think we don't have the funds, or the authority, or even permission from the one we desire to help. A mentor told me years ago that oftentimes God makes us aware of needs not so we can rescue, call the police,  give money, or whatever else. Sometimes our assignment is simply to pray. Don't underestimate the power of a pointed and passionate prayer. God says it yields great results. If He has offered this awesome tool as an instrument to help others, we dare not underestimate it.

 

 I am counting on the God who directed me to pray to do just what He said. I am trusting Him to hear the fervent prayer I prayed on my drive home that day. It was the only and yet most powerful thing I could do.

 

What about you? When have you felt helpless to do anything but found prayer to be the best thing?

 

 

Christmas. It's Personal!

Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

 

Sometimes in thinking about peace on a big place like earth and good will to a staggering number like all mankind, we can get lost in the shuffle of how personal  God intended Christmas to be. Jesus is a gift with your personal name written on Him. He came to earth for all humanity, but humanity is made up of individuals. And all that He is and all that He offers was intended to  meet your individual need to be 

 

forgiven, cherished, cleansed, purposed,

consoled, empowered,  healed, renewed,

 saved, encouraged, avenged, bought back, set free,

 and loved.

 

 

Perhaps it's not easy for you to feel like the one for which  the blessing of Christmas was intended. Maybe you feel  more like the slob randomly splashed by default because she happened to be standing in the right vicinity at the right time. But that is not how it is. Unto YOU a child was born, unto YOU a Son was given. Oh, please do not miss the precision with which God's love extends to you!

This season, view the Christmas story through the lens of a movie camera where you were the stolen princess Jesus came to rescue. King Herod was YOUR enemy because it was YOUR salvation Satan tried to prevent when Herod killed those babies.  YOUR salvation was in danger  until  God intervened by speaking to Joseph in a dream  to take YOUR Savior to safety in Egypt.

 This is not to steal any of the glory due Jesus, the centerpiece of Christmas.  But Jesus was not born to die for Nobody. He was born to die for YOU. Without a lovee there is no lover.  Grace is no big deal without someone in need of receiving it. Making Christmas personal delights the heart of God because  the love  boomerangs back to the Giver with gratitude, and the glory due His name overflows! 

Christmas is your story. Hallelujah!  Take it personal because that is the way God gave it.