Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Forgiveness

Today, it's off to East Texas where I will be speaking at the Lamar Avenue Church of Christ this evening. Still waiting for that call to Del Rio (see yesterday's blog).

On the way home from our Texas tour over the weekend, the air conditioner in my car went out. Yesterday was a slap of reality as I got bids on repairing it. The best bid? $1,200! So, if you see me over the next few weeks and I smell like I've been outside working, you will know why. Even the 5 minute drive home from the office works up a pretty good sweat.

I'm re-reading Philip Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace. Yancey scares me because he thinks so much like I do at times. It's like he expresses what is in my head and heart. Listen to what he says about forgiving:

"By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out . . . Such a decision involves risk, of course: the risk that God may not deal with the person as I would want . . .I never find forgiveness easy, and rarely do I find it completelly satisfying. Nagging injustices remain, and the wounds still cause pain. I have to approach God again and again, yielding to him the residue of what I thought I had committed to him long ago." (p. 93)

It truly is a daily battle -- waiting for wounds to become scars.

1 comment:

Jeff said...

I hope you have safe travel in an air conditioned car. Have you called to make sure this is your Wednesday to speak?

We will miss you and know the church in Paris will be blessed to have you with them.