Let It Go

Matthew 6:12, 14-15
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
"For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

When my grandchildren were babies, they went through the same developmental stages as most, where they practiced their motor skills. Somewhere after the first four months or so, my youngest grandchild's favorite activity was honing his fine motor skills by grasping a desired object and then hurling it over the side of his high chair or crib. He seemed to have great fun releasing everything from a cup of juice, to toys, clothing, food etc., and letting it go. It was something profound to him in the release, although it was not as much fun to parents, sissy or Nana after the first twenty retrievals. Countless times we picked up, much to his delight. The more we picked up the cast away item, the more encouraged he was to laughingly toss it away. Getting rid of as many objects as possible, before those slated for pick-up stopped playing the game, seemed to be the idea. How could letting go be so edifying, so soul satisfying?

In the model prayer found in Matthew, Jesus tells us to forgive the people who have hurt or offended us; to share in the joy of letting go. Can you imagine letting someone off the hook upon which we have them ensnared? Yet, that is exactly what forgiveness is. It is to give up the desire to punish someone, to pardon for wrongs done, to cancel a debt owed.

I can almost hear a chorus of voices saying, "But you don't know what they did to me. I am not going to let them get away with that!" But perhaps these considerations may be helpful as you decide whether or not to forgive. Forgiveness does not mean that you were not really wounded. It does not mean that you lost and they won. It does not mean that you are weak. In fact, it takes more moral strength to let go of bitterness than to hold on. It does not mean that they were somehow right to do what they did and you were wrong to feel pain or anger. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you will get instant amnesia and forget everything that happened or that you will immediately feel better.

But, a wise friend once told me that "acid corrodes the vessel that houses it", and more likely than not, your unforgiving spirit hurts you more than it hurts them. In some cases, the person is not even aware that you have been distant or resentful because of them. They may have just thought that you had a nasty disposition. Little did they know that you could turn your sunny personality on for others and off for them. They may not have known that you were hurt and may not have cared. Meanwhile, unforgiveness was causing you to lose sleep, get migraines, and develop digestive issues. It may have colored your relationships with others, as the darkness reserved for the offender spilled over onto everyone and everything else in its path. Unforgiveness steals joy,and peace. It interferes with our growth and maturity. Nothing good comes from holding on to the toxic waste of unforgiveness.

Now I know that most have struggled with feelings of unforgiveness at some time or another. I realize that some of you may have been through some heavy and outrageous things at the hands of others. For you it may have been abuse, slander, betrayal by friends, or discrimination by your school or employer. For others it may have been abandonment by a parent or spouse. In some counties war loosed enemies who thought it not wrong to physically torture. The list of wicked, unkind acts goes on and on. I believe that you may have suffered much and I wish that it had not happened.

Yet, I hear the voice of Jesus saying forgive your debtors-forgive those who have trespassed against you. This passage reminds us that we are forgiven and we are to forgive others. In fact, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were still offensive to the Father, He sent a remedy for our condition. He sent His Son, Our Lord, to endure betrayal, desertion by friends, public humiliation and death by torture. He did it for us, in spite of us. He forgave us and let us go...debt cancelled.

Jesus tells us, essentially, that if we think forgiveness is a great idea for anyone (us), then it is a great idea for everyone (those who offend us). In fact verses 14 and 15 tell us that our relationship with the Father is impacted by our unwillingness to forgive.

Paul echoes Jesus later in Ephesians 4:31-32 saying, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

Perhaps you'll join me in this prayer, "Lord help me to forgive the one who hurt me. (You insert their name.)I am so grateful that You are so full of grace and mercy in your dealings toward me. Help me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to pass that mercy on to others. Lord, release me from pain, hurt and disappointment as I now refuse to hold on to anger. Fill me with the joy that only comes as I forgive and let go.

Give us Bread

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

I have always loved the smell of freshly baked bread. As a child, we would often drive by the large bakery in town and smell the mouth-watering aroma. It reminded us of the festive holiday times of sitting around the table with family and friends when fresh bread was always a part of the feast. Though I may make do now with loaves from the store for sandwiches, I still want fresh bread for the holidays.

In Bible times, bread was a staple of life.It was usually made of ground meal from wheat or barley, mixed with water, salt and sometimes yeast and oil. It was baked on hot rocks, on griddles and in clay or iron ovens. It was made or bought daily.

Bread played a part in the religious understanding of the people, as well. During the wilderness experience, after God had delivered the Hebrew children from bondage in Egypt, God sent bread from heaven to feed them. This was in response to the complaints of the people who said that they would rather still be in slavery where there was always enough bread and meat than to starve out in the wilderness. God answered their ungrateful grumbling by sending something they had never seen before, manna. This was a sign of His mercy, bread that tasted like wafers of honey.

God taught many lessons with the bread from heaven and gave regulations for its gathering and usage. They were taught to look for this blessing daily and for 40 years God never failed to keep His promise to feed them. They were taught to refrain from greed, because they could only collect enough for their family to eat for one day. They were taught to obey God and depend on Him because if they tried to hoard the manna and leave it til morning, it would turn to worms. They were taught to remember the Sabbath because on the sixth day they collected enough for two days and rested on the seventh day and the manna did not develop worms.

Bread was sent to test the people to see if they would obey God. It showed them that God responded to their cries to Him. It was a sign of His presence, power and providence as they trusted Him for 40 years.

Jesus used the symbol of bread as a reminder to trust God for the basics of life in the model prayer taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The disciples were taught to ask, "Give us this day our daily bread."

In John 6, Jesus made this lesson come alive by feeding 5000 men, plus women and children. You may remember that a multitude had followed Him after seeing Him do miracles of healing. As the day waned on, the disciples needed to figure out a way to feed the crowd. The disciples reasoned that they did not have enough money to do this. Andrew, at least,told the Master of a boy in the crowd who had five barley loaves and two small fish. But Jesus,knowing all the time what He would do, had the disciples to sit the people down. He broke the bread and blessed it and had it distributed. Not only was the multitude fed enough but there were twelve baskets of fragments left over. When the people saw this miracle they learned what a little bit in the hands of God could do and some believed that He was the Prophet who came into the world.

On the next day the multitude gathered again, perhaps more for fish sandwiches than to worship the Messiah and learn of Him. John 6:27 tells us that Jesus told them, "Do not labor for food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then the people asked for a sign so they could believe in Him- reminding Him that Moses gave the people bread in the wilderness during his day. Jesus let them know that God sent the bread then and even now was sending true bread from heaven. "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him "Lord, give us this bread always". And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

Before His crucifixion, Jesus gave bread to His followers to remind them of His body broken for them. It was a reminder of His saving act on the cross, His resurrection and our sure hope in His return.

When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread", we are asking for a mouthful. We are asking that God hear our cries and respond. We are expressing trust that He will take care of our daily physical needs in our utter dependence on Him. But we are also asking that He will take care of our daily spiritual needs for we have a relationship with Jesus, the life-giving, life- sustaining, Bread of Life.

"Lord, give us this bread, always." Thank you, for being the God who provides, nourishes and sustains.