When my son was young he went through a phase of not really responding when someone in our family would give him a hug or tell him that they loved him. I was concerned and tried to communicate to him the importance of living with no regrets. I told him that I never wanted to leave things unsaid or unresolved in case something happened and I never got another chance. I was amazed by his tender response and just how far he has grown!
If you watch my son today, especially with his daddy you will see love on display! I would say even more so now that I am sick Joe has a big space in his heart for his daddy and family. However, there is something even more evident in his life that convicts and humbles me. Joseph has an incredible ability to forgive!
There are several things that I observe in my son when he is choosing to be at peace with someone! He is understanding. He puts himself in their shoes and is able to be see their side. Joe is compassionate. He is considerate of what they are going through. He sincerely doesn't like being at odds with people even if that means he has to change.
I am an intense person and feel things strongly . I need to get past myself and not make it all about me! Today I have a choice to forgive and be at peace! I want to forgive like Joseph is showing me! NO REGRETS!
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[i]who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”