OVERCOMING OFFENSES

It is impossible to think myself out of offenses; believe me, I have tried. Actually, the opposite is true. The more I mull over offenses and discuss them with others, the more indignant I become. Our fuming deliberations deepen the pain, entrenching us in sullen exasperation and excessive defensiveness. Forgiveness is the key to turning our sorrows into joy since it places the situation into God’s hands instead of our own; letting go of the wheel is the only sure path to the right destination. Matthew 18:21-22 is the starting line, “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Really? Yes, really! O Lord My Keeper, into Your hands I commit my heartbreaks disappointments, and consternations. You restore my soul. Keep me out of the way of Your divine work so Your Wisdom and Mercy may prevail and my heart and hands may be clean.