Getting Your Life Back – A Personal Confession

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:11-12 (NASB) 

I awakened one day spiritually to realize that my world was crumbling right before my eyes. Until that moment of discovery, I had testified to people and given thanks to God almost daily of how good things were. And they were actually good.

Twelve years ago, I had triple by-pass heart surgery. Last fall I had five stents inserted in two different arteries requiring two surgeries only two weeks apart. The anesthesia twice in such a short time was a bit of a challenge at my age to overcome, but God came through for me. During all growing older adjustment, I have been advised not to climb ladders and to stay off elevated structures of all kinds. This was new and very hard to accept because I’ve always been able to physically do just about anything I wanted. But I did comply to the instructions

All of this has resulted in an increased load on my wife Bev. She really puts a huge amount of work into Christmas decorations. Because of this, our house is really gorgeous during the holidays. But it is a lot of work and I did not help as I should have done.

In a discussion about it, tears were shed and unfortunate and untimely words were spoken by both of us. Both of us were emotionally devastated following the “discussion.” We took a “time out” for a couple of days and said little to each other.

During the “time out,” I began to remember the good things and to feel pressure in my soul that I had not done my part to help Bev. As I prayed, I was solidly convicted to send her an email, to be followed by a verbal discussion, apologizing without any expectation of how she might respond. Well, she responded graciously and with forgiveness and mercy. All is well now to the glory of God. I have the best wife in the world. She always has been and always will be.

When I got out of the driver’s seat and off the throne of my life, the Holy Spirit took over with conviction, repentance and humility. He turned my mourning into dancing, removed my sackcloth and filled my heart with praise and thanksgiving for my wife and family.

Try it the next time you find yourself in a “discussion” about something that needs to be handled.

More on Forgiveness

Are you totally innocent of all wrong doing? Are you living in a state in which you are free from guilt or blame? Maybe you feel as though you are impeccable and without fault in the situation you face. Even if it is so, we cannot use our innocence to justify not forgiving one who has wronged us.

Have you ever unwittingly or unintentionally hurt someone? The hurt is the same whether intentional or unintentional. Even if the wrong done by you is truly unintentional, you still have to ask for forgiveness.

The Lord says today, “Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Until you have resolved the issue of forgiveness and unforgiveness, you are spiritually stymied and have put both yourself and your adversary in a prison, cut off from the full blessings of God. I tell you, do not let another Sunday worship or other spiritual gathering go by without being reconciled with your brother or sister.

Go out of your way to humble yourself and even initiate a conversation with your adversary to resolve all offenses and transgressions.

Forgiveness

Sunday morning worship service is often riddled with worshipers contaminated by unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is destroying the church, our families and our nation. Surely we as believers in Christ will not sleep this one out and wake up one day to find ourselves angry and hating one another! The Lord speaks, “Wake up church, families and body of Christ. See the truth. Jesus set the example for us as He died on the cross and forgave those who put Him there. No subject was stronger in his heart than to command us to do as He did and “forgive those who wrong us for they know not what they do.”

People are leaving our churches in droves. Thousands enter the church week in and week out, but within weeks or months, they leave because they find no solution to their pain, their anger, resentments and unforgiveness.

Jesus looks down from the cross with fresh blood on his face, down his side, dripping from his hands and feet. He says to us this day “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” He paid, through His suffering, the full price for us. He forgave us and says for us to forgive and ask forgiveness. He could not have made it more plain: “Forgive them. Ask their forgiveness. Resist revenge and retaliation. Remember, what goes around comes around.”

Matthew 6:12-15 (NASB) “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”