Forgive and Live

I spent the last week with speakers. Not just people who speak...we can all do that...but individuals who make a living out of empowering, motivating, advising, encouraging, and guiding. They do all of this through their words. 
I have grown up surrounded by this industry and have always been fascinated by people who have mastered the art of communication. These men and women understand that words can take people from where they currently are, and motivate them to reach goals, dreams, and highlights of their lives. My father is a motivational speaker and author. I grew up listening to his "motivational minute" each morning during breakfast, or watch him run into the kitchen for his "prep" workout, before actually heading to the gym. He had and has energy. His desire is to motivate people to action through a process of pursuing a life where "handicaps" in our lives (mental, emotional, or physical) limit our potential and inhibit our strength.

In one aspect of his keynote he touches on a wonderful memory while traveling from the United States to Canada. The National Guard of Canada asked him three specific questions:

Where do you come from?
How long have you been there?
Where are you going?

My dad reveals the truth behind these three questions. They sum up our life journey when we reflect where we have been and which dreams we are pursuing.

This morning, my mom drove me to a coffee shop and reminded me of something so important. She said, "Alexa, remember every single day holds importance for your entire life. But with that, never let yourself forget the special moments of every single day."

I don't know about you, but I allow myself to become discouraged with two types of obstacles. There are the moments I can never forget and consistently cause me to grieve, and the moments in my life that have not yet occurred, but I remain anxious. As my mom reminded me, each day is significant. Each day holds promises and hopes. For many, each new day though is simply a reflection of the past-never being able to overcome those thoughts.

What is the root of grievances of the past and anxiety of the future? I am beginning to see that it isn't stress, mistakes, negativity, or pessimism. Instead, it is forgiveness, or the lack thereof.

If we do not allow ourselves to forgive one another, or forgive ourselves, we will never be able to form healthy relationships. We have either willingly given an essential piece of our soul to a person, or allowed he or she to steal it from us. Bitterness is not an action-it is the result of apathy. If we become apathetic and do not actively forgive one another and ourselves we will never move on, and we will certainly become bitter.

The moments you can never forget and have stained your memory because of grief, will never leave until you adress the situation and apply forgiveness. And yes, you CAN forgive yourself. You can forgive yourself, because our Lord forgave you.

And, the instances that you stand anxious about, are less about the known and more about the unknown. We must apply grace to our own lives as God so abundantly has poured grace on us. It is something we do not deserve, but desperately need. Let us allow ourselves to be human. We will worry, we will  be anxious. We will have nervous thoughts because we live in an ever changing and mystery filled world. There are no promises on Earth. Our earthly bodies will be filled with fear and doubt. Of course we will...Our earth is even filled with fear and doubt in God! Instead we have one promise we can hold on to, and it is of Heaven. Let us take the model of Heaven's grace on our Earth, and make it personal. We will never encompass perfect, infallible grace as our Father displays. This is because often, the obstacles in our lives are merited...we deserve to grieve them. Our actions may be so far from the will of God, that we must fully grive them, apply forgiveness, and seek His grace to fully stand in the blinding light of our Lord. By seeking His grace, we will encompass the qualities of Grace. Remember, we were made in His image. Grace is a quality only God can perfectly encompass, yet we can allow grace to fill our hearts and flood our being. Then, we can show grace to others, and apply it to the"hangups" in our lives.

Matthew 6:14 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."



So now here is the question: How long have you been there?  How long have we allowed our past to inhibit where we are going? How long have we allowed earthly choices to inhibit God's desire for our lives?  God's will must and will be done regardless of us. But, we will never be fully used by our Heavenly father until we apply his model of grace and forgiveness to our own lives, and move on. Until we move on and start looking up again (instead of in our past or future), we will never see His direction. 
It is less about our circumstances and more about the choice to forgive, the choice to aggressively analyze circumstances in our lives and apply grace.

Thank you Dad, for allowing me to use this metaphor that you eloquently speak of in your presentation. I am thankful for your encounter with this gentleman. It has taught me so much. And thank you mom for your daily advice. 

Finally, "where are you going?" Let us begin to choose forgiveness. Let us choose grace. Let us avoid bitterness. Let us regain the piece of our hearts that we willingly sold to the earth or willingly gave away in the moment. Let us piece together our lives so that we no longer look behind, ahead or down. Instead we can look up, into His glorious face, knowing that He is the giver and perfecter of grace and forgiveness.

Psalm 86:4-5 "Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you."