MY CHOICE

On a daily, short, reflection I write on Facebook, “Spirituality From A Wheelchair,” I posted recently about my prayer to God. I asked Him to forgive somebody I know. God immediately responded to my prayer, telling me, “I already have forgiven. Now, it is up to you.” This was a revelation for me. My eyes opened wide, followed by a smile. Of course, He has forgiven, as He does not hold grudges. We are the ones whom are guilty of this.

Granted, it has taken me a long time to learn not hold onto a grudge. I was even holding a recent grudge, as I asked God to forgive another. It is an on-going process to move on, instead of remaining stagnant. I have had to ask God to help me move-on, to give me to the strength to do so.

I can be stuck in a whirlpool, asking repeatedly, “How can I forgive this person who has done harm to another of God’s family? Because of those actions, others will never be the same!” I am not progressing anywhere in my life as I continue to ask this. If I take my faith seriously, then I must leave this vicious cycle behind. It is not going to change what has happened. All it does is let me focus on the perpetrator rather than on the innocent victim. I have let badness take priority over goodness.

It is amazing to me that once I have taken the path of forgiveness, that person’s face and name is no longer taking precedence in my head. The actions of a co-worker, someone close to me, or a person I only heard about in the media, is no longer in my thoughts. It is as if God has this enormous chalkboard eraser, wiping my slate clean, as soon as I say I have forgiven.

I cannot just instantly say, “I forgive,” because if I do, I do not feel the sincerity in my words. However, I do not let it linger, as I used to do. At times, I do ‘pass the buck’ onto God, asking Him to help another understand the difference between right and wrong behaviors. I no longer will carry it on my shoulders.

There is such a relief in my tight muscles as I let it go. I may also pray for the troubled one, but now, it is at a different level. There is no longer a feeling of wrath; rather, there is an emotion of being at peace.

I silently ask others to live in the image of God, not in the image of my ideas. God has made each one of us unique and special, holding gifts, burdens, joys and sorrows. We are the ones who must make the choices with what He has given us. If we recognize the choices of others as being in error, ask God to help them get back on the correct path, during their spiritual journey.

A little first grader told me once how angry she was when she saw someone steal a sweater at the store. She wanted to get very angry with the person, proceeding to ask me why this person would take something he did not pay for. I told her about choices God gives us. Continuing, I asked her to pray to God to help the man understand not to this anymore. I gently told her not to stay angry. She could not change this man, but to pray for him. Let him feel God’s love. When he becomes aware of this love, he will not want to take things not belonging to him.

Challenges are part of our daily lives. As God told me, “Now, it is up to you.” These words will remain in my thoughts. I will take the challenges and be at peace with my decisions, living in the image of God.

Inconveniences vs. Problems

What a day, with all the snow continuing to fall. So many of us are tired of one snowstorm after another. It makes me think of what I often ask myself, “Is it an inconvenience, or is it a problem?” Of course, it is an inconvenience! We are tired of looking out our windows, only seeing white everywhere, rather than the greens of springtime.
I often have to ask myself, “Is it an inconvenience, or is it a problem?” I call anything that is not terminal to my health an inconvenience. Yes, I have likely said this before. Yet, I continue to see others make inconveniences a problem. Just yesterday, I witnessed what was an inconvenience become a major problem. No, it was not going to be terminal to anyone, but I saw a will of the minds. I was asked to intervene. I did the best I could. To think we were in a Church situation, yet there was someone trying to overstep another, rather than thinking of the consequences. I had to silently laugh, over such a minor situation. We need to think how God would like us to respond to something, not putting ourselves above Him. I had to also think of the background of the person wanting to take charge. As always, we need to think of what is beyond the eye of the beholder. There is a way to make everyone feel comfortable, yet get a point across. It is not always easy, yet we need to think of the feelings of one another. It may be an inconvenience to us, but to the other person, it is a problem. Without stepping out of our boundaries, with the help of God, we can come up with a solution. The secret knows God is living within us, of feeling how He would respond to the same problem. He would not want to embarrass anyone. He wants everyone to feel successful, to feel no shame. Is it easy? No, but we only have to listen to God. Let us respond to His wishes, not ours.