Something else Naveen made me think about last night was "loving that person you know is going to hurt you." That's an interesting concept. I think almost everyone could say that there's someone in their life who has hurt them time and again, and will continue to do so, yet we are obligated to them for a reason other than because God told us to love them. In my case, it's family. I have a couple family members who have hurt me a lot. I've always said that I'll keep on trying to love them because they are family. However, to think of it in the light that Naveen presented, to love them when they don't deserve it because of God's love for us when we don't deserve it, that's freeing. One of our many freedoms in Christ is forgiveness and healing. We receive that all the time from God, yet we're not always good at dishing it out.
Why is it so easy to dish out the bad things- sarcasm, bad jokes, crudeness, teasing, criticism, resentfulness, irritability, boasting- and so hard to dish out the good- praise, kindness, forgiveness, acceptance, gentleness, patience, humility, generosity?
Do you have people in your life who you feel like you embody all the bad? I know I do. I struggle with these people almost daily. As soon as wounds begin to heal, they are thrashed open again. But by Christ's wounds, I will always be healed. There are times when I embody all the bad too, and I expect forgiveness from others. However, I have problems forgiving when others do the same to me. Because of Christ's love for me though I do not deserve it, I will continue to press on and love these people.
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