My years on earth are growing! In fact, today is my birthday. Another year on planet earth. You would think I’d be growing and changing for the better every day, but alas, I am still in the process of learning–and in this case, forgiving.

I’m not going to go into the details, because they aren’t important to my situation. I could tell the whole long story, but it wouldn’t benefit anyone, including myself. I will confess, when this need-to-forgive situation came up, I was angry. I felt misunderstood–I’d been wronged and the situation needed to be made right.

There were emails exchanged. I stated my case. I was told there were rules and the rules needed to be followed. We followed up with several more exchanges and still, what I considered wrong was not “righted”.

My sweet husband Jim was on my side, ready to protect and defend me in words and deed. That helped bear the sting of  it. But I knew from past experience unforgiveness and resentment  is not the way to go. It benefits no one.

Today, I read someone else’s blog where I was reminded to forgive. Maureen Miller uses familiar Scripture in Mark 11:25:And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, [and then] your Father in heaven may forgive you. 

OK, Lord. I asked one of the interpreters of the rules to pray with me about my wounded attitude. Clicking through my emails, I encounter a blog for today. Guess what it was about? You guessed it. Forgiveness!

I will not tell you I’ve completely forgiven the circumstances of my situation, but I’m asking Jesus to help me forgive. Does anyone else struggle with un-forgiveness like I am?

I pretty sure each of us sometime has dealt with this. Here’s what I do when it happens. I ask God to work on my heart, to help me accept and help me forgive. In my head, that happens. I won’t say I still feel “happy happy happy” like Phil of Duck Dynasty often says, because I’m not that—yet. But I will.

The hymn for today is a really good one—we are reading through the One Year Hymns. I feel so blessed I’m born in the spring where everything is new and fresh. I ooh and ahhh at all of the beautiful flowers, the lime green leaves on the trees, the scatter of pink blossoms falling on the street from the flowering plum trees, the sound of the birds, singing to each other. Today, I will focus on what God did for me. He created this beautiful world. He created me. He knew about this particular incident in my life. I will focus on the words to this beautiful song today:

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

 

Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee;

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

 

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin,

 

God the Father did not spare His Son, how can I not forgive?

Just this morning, I looked at a favorite devotional Streams in the Desert.

Your circumstances are not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honor but also providing you with resources of great value.

The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance,
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them (Psalm 25:14 NET).

Work on my heart, Lord. Heal my resentments, my needless frustration. Take me to a higher plane that I cannot take myself. Help me forgive! Thank you for your guidance.

I will close with some of the beauties that are in full bloom right now, right outside my door. Enjoy!

How great Thou—our Creator God—art!