Thursday and Friday

Ever have one of those weeks where you plan and then life happens that causes your plans to change unexpectedly.  This week has been one of those weeks.  Two funerals within 5 days of one another and one 10 days ago.  On top of hospital visits and other activities, I did not have time to do my blog.  So today I am catching up.  Please bear with me.

Thursday Scripture Matthew 7:7-12

“Just Ask! Prayer is at the heart of our Lenten journey.  God wants to hear our prayers.”

What is your prayer life like?  Is it daily?  What is it that you pray about?  Anne Lamott wrote a book on prayer titled, Help, Thanks, Wow!.  I know in my life sometimes it is easy to only pray for help when I am in trouble or having a difficult time.  Yet, how many times do we pray prayers of thanksgiving?  Lent may be a time to remember to pray our thanks for a Savior who out of love choose to climb upon the cross for us.  At the same time to express Wow that such love given to us who are the least deserving.  Our God is love.  This Lent take time to remember to thank God and be wowed by His mercy and love.

Friday Scripture Matthew 5:20-26

“Holding Grudges. Open your heart to reconciliation, seeking ways to settle old disagreements.”

I know the difficulty it is to let go of grudges and past hurts.  There have been many times in my life that I have felt hurt by others or taken advantage of or been the subject of hate and lies.  I have guilty that I couldn’t just forgive right away and carried the anger and grudge with me to the point it began to affect my important relationships with those around me that loved me.  I knew I had to do something different or if I kept those grudges I was doing harm to myself spiritually and even physically.

Carrying around that pain did not change anything and never does.  Dealing with the pain and hurt is the only way to reach a point of forgiveness.  In my life I have found forgiveness, really letting go and letting God handle things, was a process.  The adage Forgive and Forget is wrong.  We are called to forgive and need to take the time to understand the hurt and allow God into the process of healing.  But there are some things we need to learn from which means not forgetting but not allowing the past to dictate the present or the future.  What makes the difference is knowing the pain and hurt and coming to terms with it and allowing God to put people into your life that can surround you with love and mercy as He has for you.