One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief,
was walking in
the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew
many things
were not right. He thought about those who had lied about
him back when
he had a job.
His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things
and cheated him.
He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned
to the illness
he had that no one could cure. His very soul was filled
with anger,
resentment and frustration.
Standing there this day, searching for answers he could
not find, knowing
all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old
oak tree to seek
the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in
his eyes, he prayed:
"Lord- You have done wonderful things for me in this
life. You have told
me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed.
Today, you have told
me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot. I don't
know how. It is
not fair Lord. I didn't deserve these wrongs that were
done against me
and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way
is Lord, this
one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive.
My anger is so
deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you
teach me to do
this one thing I cannot do - Teach me To Forgive."
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak
tree, he felt
something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out
of the corner
of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could
not turn to see
what it was because where the oak tree had been was a
large square piece
of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two
feet held to the
wood with a large spike through them. He raised his head
more, and tears
came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He
saw spikes in
His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body,
deep thorns
sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain
on His
precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned
to sobbing, and
Jesus began to speak:
Have you ever told a lie, he asked?
The man answered - yes Lord.
Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?
The man answered yes Lord. And the man sobbed more and
more.
Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't
yours, Jesus asked?
And the man answered yes Lord.
Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?
The man, crying now, answered yes Lord.
As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever"?
The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only
answer yes Lord.
Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other,
and the man felt
Something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw
that it was the
blood of Jesus.
When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and
there was a
look of love the man had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, I
didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you.
It may be hard to see how you're going to get through
something, but
when you look back in life, you realize how true this
statement is.
Read the first line slowly and let it sink in. This is
simple, and
important. Read on....this first line is deep.
If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.
Lord I love You and I need You, come into my heart,
today. For without
You I can do nothing.
Excellent Brother Clint, I have found that God will never burden us with anything that we can not bear, it may not be easy, but as long as we turn to him, we will persevere.
__________________
The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog
Teach me to forgive
