Create more room in your heart...

Forgiveness is a very powerful tool of transformation; unforgiveness is an equally powerful tool of destruction. St. Paul said it this way:

“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Many people do not give much credence to a belief in Satan. Believe in a being called Satan or not, I think we can all agree that evil exists in the world and many times it is embodied in structures and people who wreck great havoc in the universe. Scott Peck outlined examples of this evil in People of the Lie.

St. Paul says that when we withhold forgiveness, we unwittingly become part of the evil in the world. Why is this?  Because unforgiveness is about keeping a record of the wrongs done toward us. If we are intent on keeping a record of wrongs, we become consumed with checking the accounting book. Forgiveness upsets the ledger of right and wrong and resets the bookkeeping which sets us free to give our attention to other important issues and people in our lives. We only have so much room in our heart and minds, we decide how much room we are going to rent out when we continue on a path of unforgiveness.

Ronald Friesen © 2105

Doubters welcome....

Doubt is a normal part of life. Some people think that doubt is the antithesis of faith. Some of the negative attitude toward doubt is found in the Gospels where Jesus is often heard saying to his disciples, “You of little of faith!” Many years ago, I learned that doubt is not the opposite of faith, it is the half-way house on the way to faith. Many of us live in doubt’s half-way house. I have learned to be kind to those who take residence in the half-way house because the gospel record of Jesus’ ministry records how doubters stood among the crowd of Jesus at his ascension. Here standing in front of these doubters was Jesus with his nail-scarred hands and feet, yet, they doubted. Jesus does not offer one word of criticism (Matthew 28:17). I have found myself among those standing with Jesus many times in my life.

St. Paul recognized that doubt was a struggle for many disciples. He offers these words to strugglers:

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Over the years I have met many people who have found much comfort from this truth. For these folks, the reality of Christ is so powerful that they find all of their doubts answered in Christ. If you are having some doubts, I invite you to ask God to show you how you can find your “Yes” in Christ.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

Be comforted?

There is a lot of suffering in our world. You might be one of those who is suffering. You might be one of those who has suffered in the past and is no long suffering. Christian faith believes that comfort is found because God is the God of compassion and comfort. Listen to these words from St. Paul:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Why do we know God understands our suffering? God is the suffering God who suffered on the Cross. Whatever our suffering, God understands and wants us to find comfort. How will we find comfort? St. Paul continues with these words:

“…so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:4-5).

Never let your sufferings go to waste. The suffering you and I undergo is to transform us into carriers of compassion for others. Sharing our comfort is not done by saying, “I understand,” because each person’s suffering is unique even if we are sharing like experiences. Many years ago I went through weeks of bed rest go deal with severe back pain. Many people tried to tell me “I understand.” My reply, “No, you don’t.” How do we comfort each other? We sit, we listen, we cry, we pray. Words are not needed; presence brings comfort.

Ronald Friesen © 2015