316 - Forgive or Not to Forgive

Introducing Lu Lu - our new, 2 year old, Boston Terrier. Welcome home!!

Lord oh Lord - I am pooped. Can you say that over cyberspace? or what about in a prayer? - if not, forgive me... I think all the sickness has caught up to me and I am "pashauted" as my kids have said before. I have said it before and it is still true, I am a girl that needs her sleep. My kids are the same way - no sleep means for a grumpy day!!! I am going to bed early enough, but having to get up in the middle of the night to administer water, cough syrup, Tylenol, etc. - whoo, just about does me in. My mom called yesterday and the first thing i said as i answered the phone was "come get Elleigh." Oh how i wish she could!! Elleigh wants to be sick so bad - she was sick, but got better much quicker than the other 2. We were able to treat hers quicker than the rest. But now she still wants to be sick!!! ugh!!!!!!!!! We did get SJ on a stronger med so she should be good as new by tonight - oh please oh please oh please!!

I just read in 2 Samuel 15 about the conniving ways of Absalom. Bitterness had more than just become a problem in his life - It was ruling him. My commentary said for 11 years this ruled him. So he was sitting out at the city gate getting all the town's people to like him and making promises i am not sure he could uphold. He was promising that if he were judge he would make sure so and so pays for the crime. This may be where "do the crime, do the time" came from. Who knows. But obviously this all goes back to the raping of his sister. Oh if he could just forgive - this was the whole point of my devotion today...

Forgiveness has so many benefits. When i forgive i am releasing that person to live on. I am telling them it is over and let's go on with life. I am allowing them to have healing in their life and in some instances, begin life again. But also for me, when i am the one forgiving, it allows me to move on and live as well. Forgiveness may be more for the person that is forgiving than for the person receiving the forgiveness. But what about when you have been wronged and they don't deserve forgiveness. Oh let's not go there. Seeds of bitterness have rooted in our hearts and it is time to get the tiller out. We all are not worthy of forgiveness and yet He still dies - thank you Lord. Only it had nothing to do with Him - He died all for us.

Lord, who in my life do I need to extend forgiveness? Who in my life do I need to seek their forgiveness? Lord, i have been there before and I know there are still some seeds of bitterness still left in my heart. Let's go down that road of cleaning out and planting love, joy, peace, patience, etc... It is there, just been chocked out at times by the weeds. Lord, do your work on Farmer Gray. There really is no option of to forgive or not to forgive!

Laundry - mounds and mounds for today, rehearsing my message for Friday, shipping purses if i get a new shipment, reconciling bills, running, baseball practice, vacuuming, walking to post office, cleaning garage, wow, i better get started!