Forgive and Forget

If I said that life was full of things that could hurt us, damage our sense of self, knock us to our knees, that would probably come as no surprise to you. And I, like most of you, have faced some pretty hurtful things in my life.

Yesterday I came face to face with one of those hurtful things. My initial reaction was anger. I think that's pretty normal. In working with kids who have been 'hurt' in one way or another, I've learned that the go-to emotion when you don't understand something is typically anger. And let me tell you, I felt what those little kids must feel in full force: an anger that starts deep inside and wells up until you feel physically sick, like someone has kicked you in the stomach and you can't breathe. And I almost let it get the best of me.

As adults we all know its better to forgive and forget, to move on, to get over it, but I never realized just how difficult that could be. Needless to say, I had a hard time sleeping last night due to the racing thoughts that were swirling inside my curly head. As I was lying in bed last night and this morning, I played the situation over and over and know where I went wrong. I'm not meant to judge people or situations, I'm human, and that's a job for Someone much bigger than me. I've been shown the greatest mercy mankind will every know: forgiveness. A gift I certainly don't deserve, by Someone who has never met me on this Earth...and that grace is overly extended by Him every single day as I flounder through life trying to do the right thing and falling terribly short!

I saw a post on Twitter last night by Paige. Funny how you can gain insight from the thoughts of a teenager who is an obsessive tweeter!! :) It was simple: forgive & forget #wordstoliveby
I need to forgive (I think I've already done that, but perhaps I need to do a little more examining) and FORGET (that's going to be the hard part, since I have the memory of an elephant..I really hope their memories are as great as everyone thinks they are, or else I've been horribly misled my entire life).

This morning I was drawn back to two scriptures that I memorized decades ago when I faced some very hurtful times: Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." and Luke 6:37 "And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned." #REALWORDSTOLIVEBY

I am thankful for...

So, today at work, I was doing a lesson with some kindergartners. We talked about thankfulness, read a book about Thanksgiving, and wrote a sentence. I gave them a starter, "I am thankful for..." and they had to complete the sentence and draw a picture of what they were most thankful for. I saw lots of "mommy," "my family," and even "my dog." But the one I found most amusing was: I am thankful for...chezbrgrs. That's kindergarten for 'cheeseburgers'. What made it even more amusing was that the kid was Arabic. :)
Then tonight at church, the youth group talked about what they were thankful for and wrote thank-you-notes to someone they were thankful for. That made me really think...what am I thankful for?
I'm thankful for MANY things!
1. I'm thankful that I have a God who loves me, faults and all, and accepts me just like I am.
2. I'm thankful for my little family: Paige and Michael. They keep me running like a crazy woman, but I love them so much!
3. I'm extremely thankful for my extended family and our love for each other. Mama and Roy, Daddy and Kelly, Jon, Kayti, Zayne; Mike and Terri, Carl, Matt, Sarah, Alyssa, and Bella. I could list all the special things about each person on my list, but you might get tired of reading. :)
4. I'm thankful for an awesome visit with my Mama last night. It felt so good to relax and laugh with her! She's the best mom EVER, and I hope when Paige looks back, she will think the same thing about me.
5. I'm thankful for wonderful friends who love and support me. I hope I'm as much of an encouragement to them as they are to me.
6. I'm thankful for a job where I feel like I can help others.
7. I'm thankful for a reliable car to get me to and from all the places I go!
8. I'm thankful for a warm, cozy home.
9. I'm thankful that I wake up every morning, ready to face the day.
10. I'm thankful that I've never had to worry about food or clothing.
11. I'm thankful for a strong body and mind!
12. I'm thankful for forgiveness.
I could go on and on, but that's where I'll stop for tonight. :)

Has it really been 5 months....

since I last wrote anything???
Oops!
What have I been doing, you might ask? Well, I wish I knew!!
Hopefully I'll do a better job of updating...