April 16, 2021 – Click here to listen
Friday has arrived and the weather is terrific here. Not a cloud in the sky or whisper of wind which leaves the ocean looking like a sheet of glass. Now most folks might think that is a good thing, but invariably along comes someone who finds something wrong with it; it’s gonna be a hot one today, fish don’t bite well in calm seas, etc. etc.
Ugh! So yesterday I wrote what I felt was a good post on forgiveness. Many responded that you felt the same way, however, one guy wrote that he “cringed” when he read it because it “publicly humiliated” my son.
I called my son and asked if he was offended by the post and he laughed and said not at all. The only thing he felt bad about was leaving the bait on the boat to rot which resulted in me having to clean it up. He said he almost did the same thing a day earlier and remembered at the last moment. Most fisherman have made a similar mistake and when they discover the mistake it is not a lesson easily forgotten.
I digress, this post is about the fact that one of my sons whom I love dearly made a couple of serious mistakes that caused some problems for me, but because of my love for him I forgave him. True when I was spending two or more hours cleaning up his mess, forgiveness was not on the top of my mind and I actually felt like sticking his head in that cooler so he could realize the full impact of what he’d done. But after reflection I actually laughed about the panic the lift caused and the entire situation with the bait. As I mentioned yesterday, he doesn’t have that many opportunities to fish and I don’t expect him to be on the pro fishing circuit at this stage of his life.
I have discovered through nearly 23 years of writing Words for the Day that the number one issue that befuddles my readers is forgiveness. Too many just cannot bring themselves to do it. The main point in the post was that forgiveness is a good thing. Yes, you might have been damaged somehow and you have your pride, but so what? Just forgive and forget and move on. For the record I didn’t call my son and berate him after cleaning up his foul mess, I went and took a shower and never even mentioned it to him.
I hope I don’t offend my “cringing” friend who might be upset by today’s post too and may think that now I’m publicly humiliating him. Since I am the only one who knows his identity that would be impossible.
The point is I’m trying to help people with these posts by giving real-life examples of what I struggle with day in and out. Let no good deed go unpunished if you will, but if just one person who reads this will just forgive that person that they harbor ill will towards, I will have accomplished my goal with that post. I’m not Abraham sacrificing my son Isaac to achieve this end, but I thought the example might make some of you think about how silly it would be for me to get seriously bent out of shape over this issue and get into a Hatfield vs. McCoy feud over it. Remember Jesus commands that we forgive in the strongest possible terms. It is so nice to reach a point in your walk of faith whereby it comes naturally.
Matt. 5:14
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!