As I sit to write this reflection, I’m not sure what I am going to write and what direction my reflection will take. But I am reminded that sometimes we need to ‘go with the flow’, that flow being the Holy Spirit, speaking to us, working within us and moving through us. This is often difficult to do when we are distracted with everyday life, pressurised by time and the number of tasks we need to do before the end of the day. It takes bravery and needs us to open ourselves up to possible hurtful feelings and past memories, and writing this reflection forced me to do the same.
We live in a world of contradictions. In some ways we live in such an ordered world, with everything having to be done in a certain way, at a certain time, which often stifles our creativity and spontaneity to the point of oblivion. But on the other hand, we live in a world that is in such turmoil, a world that brings us anything but peace of mind. Peace of mind cannot be bought but can only be gained by truly trusting God and putting things in His hands and allowing Him to bring reconciliation – with ourselves, with others and with the world. We can only do this by prioritising our time with God, to get ourselves in the right mindset. With God we will not be alone to find our way through the ‘fog’. God will help us to work through the stages of forgiveness right through to reconciliation, with the situation, with ourselves, with others.
“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive”. Colossians 3:13
We ask God to help us forgive and we ask Him for forgiveness. But what are we asking Him to forgive? Our wrong doings or harsh words said in the heat of the moment, or our lack of motivation to do what is needed? Or is it something much deeper?
God gave His son to forgive our sins and we know that we are forgiven even before we have even thought of carrying out a wrong. But that isn’t a ticket to do carte blanche what we want, and if we don’t truly forgive then we will continue to carry that burden around with us.
As Christians we are required to not judge and to forgive. Both are pre-requisites to living as Christians.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged, do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven”. Luke 6:37
Saying “I forgive” is easy but achieving it will potentially lay us bare to hurt and a fear of failure. There’s a risk but God is there to help. Dig deep within yourself for true forgiveness, whether that is to forgive yourself or to forgive others. If you have things in life that you haven’t worked through, and you want to do this, your first step is to find time, space and quietness to connect with God. Remember it is a process which can’t be hurried. It can, and will be achieved, not in our time, but in God’s time.
Kathy Shaw
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