(10.15.20—I Desire Mercy!--Matthew 12:7)
My friend, may I ask you a question? When our lives are filled with little resentments every day, it is true these often lead to bitterness and an unforgiving attitude?
My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.
I’m M. Clifford Brunner?
It’s wood-making time again. That means countless hours of cutting, splitting, stacking and restacking of the many cords of wood that will be required for the upcoming heating season here at Beech Springs. It’s also time to take that odd array of used chainsaw chains into the hardware store for sharpening. This past week I did just that and was ready to go when Saturday dawned and the work beckoned. There’s one thing about chainsaw chains that has always fascinated me, how- ever, and I witnessed that again this past Saturday. A freshly sharpened chain can make scores of cuts into the hardest of wood and remain fairly sharp. But, just let that chain touch the ground for but a split second while the saw is running and it nearly instantaneously becomes dull. Just a little dirt can do in a split second what it takes the hardened core of tree trunk to do in hours.
It’s like that with little resentments in our lives that often lead to bitterness and an unforgiving attitude.
Here’s a story: Many years ago in Madrid a father and son had become estranged. Despite all the father’s efforts, there could be no reconciliation. Finally, the son ran away from home leaving his father discouraged and lonely. After several days the father set off to find him. He looked for him down every street and alley in the city. He searched for months to no avail. He returned home with a broken heart. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father came up with one last, desperate idea. He decided to put an ad in a Madrid newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.” The week passed slowly and then, when Saturday morning dawned, the father went down to the newspaper office expecting the worst. During the course of the day, however, 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from THEIR fathers. (Bits & Pieces, October 15, 1992.)
How many Paco’s are out there in your life just waiting to taste just a small helping of your mercy? The only thing stand- ing between you and them may be a small resentment that you harbor, a little sin committed. It’s so often the little things, like resentments, that finally divide people and quickly dull relationships. And the solution, of course, is to let them go. There is really nothing particularly profound about it. It’s like my grandmother always said, “You can nurse a grudge, but it will never get better. While you’re busy pouting, they’re out dancing.” For fulfilling and lasting relationships to happen in our lives, letting go of bitterness and resentment is a must. Refuse to carry them around and you may be surprised at how much energy you have left for dancing WITH your friends and how SHARP your relationships will stay.
We pray. Heavenly Father. Little things, like resentments, divide us from those who love us and quickly dull relationships that used to be sharp. Lord, we have such a hard time sometimes letting them go. Please forgive us. It’s truly like the adage, “You can nurse a grudge, but it will never get better. While you’re busy pouting, they’re out dancing.” Grant O Lord that we can have fulfilling and lasting relationships to happen in our lives, if we let go of bitterness and resentment we carry. Help us not to carry them around and show us how much energy we have left for dancing WITH our friends and how SHARP our relationships will stay. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
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<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.