Forgiveness...heck no!

I enjoyed Solomon Island a lot...while there I struggled with forgiveness...how can I forgive? I teach kids about God's love...shouldn't I show them how to forgive? It was a struggle all weekend...every morning I would walk a couple of miles...on Sunday morning I threw in clothes to put over my workout clothes and headed to a tiny little white Methodist church on the water.  It was a congregation of older people..who all came over and welcomed me...and the service began...during the sermon (which was about being in awe of God) a voice came from the back of the church that said..."I want to talk about forgiveness"..i froze...the preacher stopped and said "OK lets talk about it" and they did and all questions he asked were questions I asked myself and had been struggling with all weekend...

the minister talked about how forgiveness helps us to step out of the way and lets God do his work...when we don't forgive there is a barrier between that person and God...and that barrier is us...i cried the entire service...when I had the chance to look..the person in the back was a beach bum who looked like he had been out all night...and a friend of his...as I was leaving the church that day there were lots of older people crowded around the fellow and he was saying...I don't know why I came in here today...but I knew why...I immediately texted my ex Mark and said "I forgive you"...and my life turned a corner that day...i knew I was going to be OK...i knew God had plans for me and I knew God needed me to forgive...do I feel forgiving every day...heck no!  There are still times when the hate is powerful...but it is different...there is peace in my life and in my heart...I made sure I sat down and wrote a letter to the pastor so she would know the impact she and her congregation had...i always think would Greg stop a prepared sermon to answer a question from the congregation and i think he would and i hope our congregation would embrace such an interruption...

God was with me in my struggles...there is NO DOUBT...God has walked with me...and let me know it too!! I tell the kids I have learned to pay attention...and watch for God...he is real and he is here!!