Matthew 18:21-22:
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. "
As Lee-Ann/Kathleen would say, I had a "Omg, this shoe was custom designed just for me!" moment today. You hear the same messages a trillion times, but it never means anything until you can relate.
Today in prayer meeting, Pastor Andrew talked about having a friend who keeps on doing you wrong over and over again, and everytime it happens, it gets harder and harder to forgive them. And it's totally true, it does get hard. It takes a lot of freaking effort. When someone promises you things and doesn't follow through or does crap, says they'll change but doesn't, it gets so difficult to trust them. And eventually, you shut them out. You can't love them anymore, because it hurts too much, or it's too much trouble. It's not worth your time when nothing improves.
But this whole way of thinking is so wrong. God has never given up on us once. No matter what we say or do, He has never given up.
This hit me hard. Spot on.
I just needed someone to affirm that it's not bullshit to love someone who you feel like you should give up on.
3 comments:
I shall affirm.
The other day, I read something in a book and it basically said somethin like this:
Kay. I just found it. So I'm gonna type it out. Cause I feel like it. :P From Captivating- John and Stasi Eldredge:
"Women who are stunningly beautiful are women who have had their hearts enlarged by suffering. By saying, "Yes," when the world says, "No." By paying the high price of loving truly and honestly without demanding that they be loved in return."
Yeah. That was a long comment. But it somehow connected to your post in my mind.
Yep. Yep yep yep.
You provided that moment for me just now. Wow.
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