Some Thoughts on Forgiveness:

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."
-Romans 12:2

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
-Galatians 5:22-23

"He that cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if
he would ever reach heaven; for everyone has need to be forgiven."
-George Herbert




I just read an interesting little tidbit on forgiveness by one of the writers at xxxchurch.com.

It is so...strange to think that forgiveness is more important for the offend rather than the offender. I am carrying a lot of pain in my soul, a lot of pain, a lot of bitterness that slowly eats at my soul...it consists of everything from the failings of family to the bitterness that comes from having Christians and churches fail me.

How much of it is deliberate?
Honestly, how many people intend to strike chords within my heart to where I loose my perspective on life and forget not just who I am but why I was born in the first place?

Over the past few days I have had a LOT of conversation about Christianity, church, the fake Jesus (who is Caucasian, blue eyes and blond hair) history, sexuality, children, vampires, paganism, 'alternate' lifestyles, cats, family, zombies and really only God knows what else.

In hindsight the two things that matter the most to me in this world were overlooked, that being the real Jesus and grace.

I honestly have never one who takes many opportunities to "put in a good word for God" but I really do not think misplaced evangelism would be the right thing to do when it comes to the ones wearied by experience. Talking to people who have been seriously burned by the church, Christians and the whole religious establishment...is so disheartening and like having a mirror held up in front of me.

I've given several blanket apologies for the utter lunacy that the Christian church has been for the past couple of thousand of years. I'm a little old fashion in that I believe in a literal Satan because that is the only one I can think of that could twist something as beautiful as God coming in human form to show love to His people and that sacrifice and grace...and make it about religion and politics.

How many millions of people have been murdered in the name of Jesus, of whom Paul preached? How many tens of millions have been mindlessly abused, persecuted and lost their place in the world because of self righteous idiots who took a small nugget of truth and took it to the logical extreme?

I know so little about life, there are few things I have any confidence in but Jesus is the only solid bedrock I have in life. It's more than just words on a page, incredible stories or about finding inner peace; it is this absurdly impossible, this strange experience of falling in Love and feeling my heart of stone being turned back into flesh.

I have seen a lot of cynicism and jaded hearts because of people...the whole problem Pascal mentioned of people having that "God shaped hole in their heart" gets cut even bigger because people love themselves more than they do God, much less other people.

The curious thing I have seen first hand is that the bigger the hurt, the bigger the pain...the more horrible things become...the greater grace may be found. I hate people who say that God can take the worst of pains and make it beautiful...because it is true and because of how insecure I am. I am too insecure to trust that the One whom I love can take my pain, my bitterness and turn it into something wonderful...there is a strange paradox of how I preach 'faith, hope and love' and the second I get hurt is the second I start giving up on God, people...and myself.

Choosing to forgive someone for the pain, the evil they have done to you isn't the same as approving of their actions. Choosing to stick your neck out and say "I forgive you because Jesus loves me, loves you and has forgiven me so I am forgiving you." Isn't the same as of approving of the offender's actions.

But it is choosing to let the pain change you, push you beyond the complacency that comes with bitterness and pain.

It is choosing to turn stagnate water into wine and letting joy back inside the empty house.

I want to put the past into the past and leave it there, I feel the weariness weighing on me for past debts and hurts that I am so sick of carrying. The burden of the past is too much to bear and I have carried it because I forget who I am and why it is I am alive.

I want to move on in life, move past the aches of the past and let the tears be dried so I can see the beauty in life again. I'm so sick of loosing myself to the base emotions and forgetting what it means to be alive.

Grace, pure and beautiful grace. Grace enough to wipe away the stains and enough to ease the pain. Grace enough to feel, grace enough to love and grace enough to begin to believe again.

Having a check list for life is missing the point, showing up and willing to give people hugs and tell them that they loved...now that is much closer to living life. Berating people for their shortcomings and making them feel judged by God is helping no one...it is just holding up a mirror to show the emptiness in that person whose judges.

How bitter, how egotistical and how narcissistic does a person have to be to take on the mantle of judge, of whom Jesus is the only One rightful, Holy and just in doing?

Grace, forgiveness, Love...such powerful words meant for being shared between Jesus and all of us. Real relationships, real love comes when we lay down our arms and choose to be a family together. People are broken and in need of love...we can't fix anyone but we can show them a flicker of the Divine Love when we choose to let go of the problems we can't fix and instead choose to live life.



"And we love to wear a badge, a uniform
And we love to fly a flag.
But I won't let others live in Hell
As we divide against each other
And we fight amongst ourselves.
Too set in our ways to try to rearrange
Too right to be wrong, in this rebel song.

Let the bells ring out
Let the bells wring out
Is there nothing left?
Is there, is there nothing left,
Is honesty what you want?

A generation without name
Ripped and torn.
Nothing to lose, nothing to gain
Nothing at all.
And if you can't help yourself
Well, take a look around you
When others need your time
You say it's time to go.
It's your time.

Angry words won't stop the fight
Two wrongs won't make it right.
A new heart is what I need
Oh God, make it bleed.
Is there nothing left?"
-U2, "Like a Song..."

Quote of the Day:

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, 'Where have I gone wrong?' Then a voice says to me, 'This is going to take more than one night.'”
-Charles M. Schulz

Pain in My Head, Pain in the Soul

I feel like every effort I make with..trying to understand or make things better with...family things...I make worse.

I can't win...so I will not continue to play that kind of game.

I just...all I know to do is pray and hope, hope and pray...I am sick of pain and hurting...I just want to do the right thing and honestly...half the time I do not know...and most of the time I know nothing at all.

Can there ever be peace in the human heart?
Or will everything I do simply cause more pain?
More ache? More destruction?