*Forgiveness!!!

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Want in on a little secret? Here it is. I like to hold a grudge. I like to hold a grudge because it feels good. You see, when I hold a grudge, the other person is the bad guy, and I’m the victim. When I hold a grudge, I can play the part of the tragic hero and bask in my righteous indignation. Best of all, when I hold a grudge, my life is simple. I’m right. They’re wrong. And unless they come back and grovel to my satisfaction, I don’t have to strain my mind about anything.

But there’s a downside to holding a grudge. Playing the victim seems like an easy pass for a while. But over time it leaves a sense of helplessness that’s bitter and dark. Righteous indignation may taste sweet for a moment, but eventually it sours the soul. And when I hold a grudge in front of my eyes, I am blinding myself to all the ways I have failed others, all the ways I have disappointed others, and all the ways I have given others good reason to hold a grudge against me.

Maybe you struggle with the same problem. But here’s the real tragedy. You and I are naturals when it comes to holding grudges. We’re good at it. So good that, as sinners, we’re trapped. Trapped in cycles of bitterness and resentment. Trapped with no peaceful place to go. Which is exactly why Jesus came to invade our time and space. He took upon himself the weight of our every sin, our every failure, our every wrong. He went to the cross. He paid for them in full. Because he did, the Lord has forgiven us. It’s a forgiveness that’s complete. It’s a forgiveness that’s free.

That forgiveness is something else, too. God’s Word tells us that that forgiveness is also what gives us the power to forgive others, to release old grudges, to dismiss old grievances that have been darkening our lives far too long.

This year, throw the old grudges away. Forgive. Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.

*Morning Walk E-Mail

Hello Beloved – Angela Winbush/Ronald Isley

What a beautiful song! Angela and Ron can sing! Of course, there was some chemistry, they did marry in 1993 and they divorced in 2002. Angela was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 but after a successful surgery, the cancer was in remission and she went back to singing. She went through some other things such as having a benign cyst removed from her breast overcoming depression after her divorce from Ron. She’s proud that her strong faith has helped her to overcome these challenges. Angela is such a beautiful woman!

I Won’t Complain – Rev. Paul Jones (Extended Version)

Encourage Yourself – Donald Lawrence/The Tri-City Singers

The Shoe Box!!!

This funny email has been surfing the internet.  I don't know the author, but it begs the question of how much does your mate have to put up with?  When we argue, we wonder if we made the right choice in choosing a mate.  Sometimes, we ask ourselves what if.  What if I had chosen so and so, what would so and so do in this situation?  Would so and so understand me better than my mate?  Relationships are hard work, they are just like jobs that we can walk away from, but are they worth keeping.  Please read the email and think about what would you do? 

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box,

But one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took

down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents.

'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

A Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;

Love to forgive him; and Patience for his moods;

Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death,

Because I don't have time to crochet.

So Gone – Jill Scott ft. Paul Wall

I’m diverting a little to this particular song, not because it’s sexy, but because it’s all about taking care of the lover in your life.  This young woman hasn’t received the credit she deserves.  Jill is very talented, not only can sing, she can truly act.  Society has misplaced values on full-figured women.  There is nothing wrong with a woman who has some extra meat on her in all the right places.  She can’t help it if she’s big-boned.  She carries herself well, respect herself, and expect others to respect her, too.  Jill seemed to have lost weight to be accepted, the same that Jennifer Hudson had to do.  It’s a shame that we still value people by the way they appeal to us.  We forget what they have to do to maintain good health and prolong their time with us.

I Feel Like Going On!

Let’s give credit to the Mississippi Mass Choir for their version, I Feel Like Going On.  Where the author got Home from, I don’t know.  I don't know why I went back and listened to these old songs. God knows just what I need and when I need it.  No matter how far we've drifted from the Lord, He's always there. He loves us more than we will ever know, even more than a mother’s love. Thank you, Lord, Your mercy endures forever!