A thought by Charles R. Swindall, from his book, What if…God Has Other Plans?: Finding Hope When Life Throws You the Unexpected (p. 114). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
And we all need help in this area, don’t we?
Charles says, “Sometimes there’s a blind spot that needs to be identified. Or there’s a fallacy in someone’s perspective that needs a gentle nudge or a private confrontation. A forgiving spirit provides others the benefit of the doubt.
“Sometimes we ourselves are blinded to those things, and others need to allow us a second chance.”
He later says, “We all need people around us who are willing to help us see the issue and forgive us, and then help us move on. The goal is improvement and growth.
“On the flip side, sometimes a person deliberately does what’s wrong and is unwilling to change. That’s when offering second chances gets tough. In those situations, it’s a real challenge to stay married or to continue to show understanding and forgiveness to an adult child or a difficult coworker or an employee. Or maybe you’re the one deliberately making life miserable for those around you.
“This is where failure plays a vital role. This is where life meets mercy, where failure is confronted by grace.”
Later he also says, “When you can’t reach a resolution and you must disagree, try not to become disagreeable. Don’t drag a grudge around with you. Don’t go to your grave hating someone. Remember, the background of all of this is forgiveness. In matters of forgiveness, it’s always your move. Always. Forgiveness is necessary whether there’s reconciliation or not. But there are some situations in which good can come from a separation.”
He then says, “Trust me, there are times when something that seems like a loss is, in reality, more of a deliverance. If this happens, be big enough to realize that God may choose to bless the individual or group you chose to depart from. I love these words from the late Dr. Bob Cook: ‘God reserves the right to use people who disagree with me.’
“As you grow and mature in Christ, you’ll develop the ability to understand that life is not always as we prefer it to be. We leave much to the mysterious will of God.
“There’s a touch of tragedy in parting company. At the same time, there’s always evidence of the mysterious plan of God unfolding.
“Let’s err on the side of offering grace to those who need it most. It may not be long into the future when you or someone you love will be the one asking the question ‘What if I need a second chance?’”
And that is always a good question to ask ourselves, isn’t it?
Comments
Post a Comment