Forgiveness Friday: "Stay Out of My Room"

Big Brother: "Stay out of my room!"
Little Sister: "I just want to watch TV with you."
Big Brother: "You can't come in my room!"
Little Sister: "I'm telling Mom, you're being mean."
Big Brother: "Go ahead.  I'll tell her you can't come in my room!"
Little Sister: "MOM!"

I could hear the exact moment my daughter began to cry and march down the hallway to the living room, where I thought I was about to spend some quiet time in front of the television.  This is the loud conversation I heard late in the evening.  By time the two of them reached me, her tears were flowing really heavy.  After a few moments of drying her tears and calming him down, I asked him to sit down on the couch so we could talk.

"But Mom, she's always in my room taking things," was how he began our conversation.

Once I let him vent out his frustration, I brought to his attention that he said "she's always in my room taking things."  I shared with him that it sounded like he had made an invisible list of everything she had ever taken from his room.  I asked him if the list was important enough for him, that he would write down everything she had ever taken from his room.  Of course, he said "no." I didn't expect he wanted our conversation to turn into a writing assignment. 

Then I had asked him, "did you ever forgive her for the things she took?"
"Well, yeah" was the response.
"Then why can she never go back in your room, especially to just sit and watch TV?" 
Before he could answer my question, I said, "If you have forgiven her, why are you holding the memory of your 'taken' things against her?"

I offer you a similar question:
How often have you allowed the invisible list of sins against you or hurt feelings, punish the friends you have already forgiven?
Are you missing out on a love possibility, because you can't forgive and forget?

Forgiveness is hard.  If it was easy, there would be no need to talk about it.  If you are having a difficult time forgiving and forgetting, go to your Heavenly Father in prayer.  Seek the advice of your pastor, ministry leader, and auxiliary leader.  Remember, God wants to see you succeed.

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Romans 12:2 (NLT)