Free Yourself!

It’s so hard to believe we're over half way through April! During the first blog of the month, I focused on how Jesus offered everyone forgiveness and salvation through his death, burial and resurrection. The same way I was forgiven of my sins, I must forgive other people. I learned what we call the Lord’s Prayer as a child. Matthew 6:12 KJV states, 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.' The New Matthew Bible version reads 'And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.' This is verse 14, 'For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.' It is evident that forgiving others is directly connected to receiving forgiveness ourselves. I share my personal experience in my book, WHEN I WAS 40. In Chapter 1, Closing a Chapter, I share how my ex-husband and I both gave and received forgiveness needed to move forward. Sometimes people think that when they forgive they’re letting someone off the hook. No, forgiveness frees us. Forgiveness means I’m letting go of something that chained me to a part of my past. Is it always easy to forgive? No. If it were easy, no one would ever hold grudges against another person, or stay offended, or try to get even. Because forgiveness is not easy, sometimes we need help working through it. You may need a shoulder to cry on, help from a mentor, counselor, or a spiritual leader. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I have helped patients with this. One of my resources states: Forgiveness is a process where someone who has been wronged chooses to let go of their resentment and treat the wrongdoer with compassion. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting or condoning the wrongdoing, granting legal mercy, or reconciling a relationship. You can forgive a person while in no way believing that their actions were acceptable or justified. On the other hand, simply saying the words, “I forgive you”, or accepting an apology is not forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness can occur without ever speaking to the wrongdoer. Forgiveness is an emotional change that occurs within the person who has been wronged. I am employed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I volunteer as the Celebrate Recovery (CR) Ministry Leader at Live Oak. In case you’re hearing this for the first time, CR is a Christ-centered recovery program. People can address their struggles with addictions, hurts, hang-ups, habits, issues and problems. In CR, we use the same 12 Steps that are used in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, but we also have 8 Principles from the Beatitudes in Bible (Matthew 5) to help people understand that our Higher Power is Jesus and He has the power to help us overcome whatever we’re dealing with. Of the 8 Principles, Principle 6 is to Evaluate all my relationships. Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I’ve done to others, except when to do so would harm them or others. Lesson 17 in the CR curriculum is entitled “Forgiveness.” We learned that not being able to accept and offer forgiveness can hinder or destroy recovery and progress. Forgiveness is God’s prescription for all who are broken. It doesn’t matter how painful the situation might have been, forgiveness is the way to complete healing. In recovery and in therapy, we learned that one of the roots of compulsive behavior is buried pain. In Principle 1 of CR we learned that pretending the pain or hurt isn’t there or that it doesn’t bother us any more does not solve the problems. Jeremiah 6:14 reminds us that “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there.” First we have to face the past, forgive ourselves and those who have hurt us. Then, we have to make amends for the harm and pain we’ve caused other people. Forgiveness breaks the cycle. When we choose to let go of the hurt, we’re not letting the offender go free, we are actually granting freedom to ourselves. Why not give it a try? Think of a situation where someone has wronged you or you wronged someone. Maybe it happened recently. Maybe it happened years ago. Maybe that person or you have never apologized. You can still choose to forgive and to offer forgiveness. If they don’t accept your apology, or they don’t respond, you did your part. Remember, forgiveness is NOT for the other person. It’s for you. Don’t you want to be free? Say this out loud, “Forgiveness frees ME.” Free Yourself!

There's a Gift for you

We are in another month, and we just celebrated the most important and amazing day of the year, Resurrection Sunday, which is also known as Easter Sunday! When you think about it, we are actually still celebrating the gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. Do you like to give gifts? Do you like to receive gifts? How do you respond when someone offers you a gift? Do you just walk away and leave it unopened? Most of us are ecstatic when we receive a gift. ‘For me?’ we say. We gladly open the box or package and allow the giver to see our expressions of gratitude. Well, Christmas is very significant to us because we recognize the birth of Christ. He is the gift of life. He did not remain the Baby Jesus. He knew that He came to demonstrate the power of God on the earth through miracles, His teachings, His life, His leadership, and His ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. He literally came to die on the cross for our sins. He knew God would raise Him from the dead (after three days) to declare power over death, hell, and the grave. The Lord’s resurrection means life and forgiveness for us. Because Jesus had the power to overcome death, He has the power to help us overcome things that try to keep us from living with joy and liberty in Christ. We do not have to be bound by sin or negativity. Imagine this: Jesus was on the Cross giving up His life and asking the Father to forgive people who didn’t even know they needed forgiveness. He died for EVERY one of my sins and yours. John 14:6 lets us know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to get to the Father is through the Son. God, the Father, knew Adam and Eve would sin and that the world would need a Savior, His Only Son, Jesus. Jesus temporarily gave up His position in heaven so that one day you and I could live with him for eternity. He paid the price for us with His blood because He was sinless. He gave up His life to give us new life here and life forever after we die. He did say, “I came that they might have life and that more abundantly.’ "Abundant life" refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for spirit, soul and body. God has provided salvation through His Son, and all we have to do is accept it. Won’t you open your heart to this most beautiful gift and accept God’s gift of forgiveness? Won’t you receive salvation today? I accepted Jesus when I was 13 years old. I have not been perfect, but I try to live for Him every day. I am so grateful. I celebrate with all who know Jesus! I am forgiven and on this Resurrection weekend, I want to let the world know that Jesus is alive and He is the gift for you too!

Stay Hydrated

I was holding a 16.9 ounce bottle of purified water when I thought about the importance of staying hydrated. I try to drink about four bottles of water per day since my body is about 60% water, and I am constantly losing water from basic bodily functions, sweating, and just breathing. To avoid becoming dehydrated, I need to consume plenty of water everyday. Health experts suggest we drink at least eight 8-oz cups or about ½ gallon each day. Some experts also suggest sipping on water even if you're not thirsty. I shared all of that because I have to revisit the question from the blog at the beginning of March, 'are you growing or stagnant?' Well, to keep growing, we have to stay hydrated. I talked about how I do that naturally; however, I cannot leave you without including a spiritual application as well. In the introduction of When I Was 40: Overcame Some Challenges, Still Learning and Growing, I stated. “Find yourself growing instead of remaining stagnant as I once was.” Near the end of Chapter 1, I said, “…the foundation of a spiritually healthy church is a spiritually healthy home or family unit. If I am stagnant at home, it is very likely that I will be stagnant at church or…I will be pretending at church…One day, I was tired of the pretense and stagnation.” Physical health begins with avoiding dehydration. I can do this if I drink water regularly and not just when I’m thirsty. I believe the same principle applies to our spiritual health. The word water is found 722 times in Scripture and it’s generally used of literal water. It is also used figuratively in many ways, including salvation (John 4:7-14), the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-38), the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26), and daily supply (Psalm 23:1-3). The daily supply described here lets me know that God “refreshes my soul.” That is how we can avoid spiritual stagnation and dehydration. Daily time with God refreshes the soul: reading His Word, spending time in prayer, worship, relying on the help of the Holy Spirit, and resting in Him. Since I make time to feed my natural body, I must do so spiritually. I must stay hydrated, and I need to spend time with God even when I don’t feel like it. I won’t pretend I’m on a spiritual high 24/7, but I am learning to override my 'feelings' to seek the face of Mighty God. Even when I didn’t always know how to pray or what to read, I tried to make time with God a priority. I try to pay attention to my body because I don’t like feeling dehydrated and depleted. In the same way, I do everything I can to avoid becoming empty, lifeless and spiritually drained and dehydrated. I’m going to stay spiritually hydrated in every way possible or by any means necessary. A healthy church begins first with each of the members of the Body being healthy, renewed, refreshed and revived. If you’re feeling empty, allow God to fill you today. Not feeling like it may be a sign that you need to be hydrated. He restores your soul. Stay hydrated. I'm praying for you!