Wherever two of our children (aged 4 and 7) are playing with one another, it is fun to see them come up with storylines for one another and their toys, or whatever they are doing when they get along. But that joy and peace usually only lasts for so long, as inevitably there is something done or said that offends one or the other so that anger and yelling eventually follow. Sometimes they are able to work out their squabbles and get back to playing, but sometimes is takes the intervention of a parent to help them sort out their disagreement and help them see that anger and hurtful words are not the best solution. In disagreements between adults, we don’t often have a parental mediator, but someone like that might be helpful in getting over our offenses.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Whenever we deal with other people, there are ample opportunities for us to offend one another. In fact, certain people I know look for things you say or do, and choose to be offended by them, often taking things out of context. With such thin skinned folks living among us, or which may be us at times, there may be a lot of things done on a daily basis which may insult us. So, we can either accumulate and carry these grudges around all the time, or we can choose to forgive them quickly and repeatedly to get on with life. Though there are times we need to distances ourselves from some toxic personalities for a bit, forgiveness is often the only thing that helps continue our relationships most times. Forgiving others is choosing to love them!
Yours in Christ,
Clark
