Hello, peeps! I'm glad to be writing again! It's been a wonderful sabatacle, regrouping and focusing on my family and all the NEW this spring has brought. Sometimes, if I'm not careful, the distractions of this world really take a toll on my quality of parenting, friendships, marriage, etc., so from time to time don't be surprised to see me pull away from blogging (and Facebook) for a bit. You can always email or call me if you ever have a prayer request or want to chat.
Spring has sprung here in Western Washington, which means rain, rain, and more rain! In my experience, that's kind of what every season means here, but supposedly this summer is going to prove me wrong. I'm hoping that's the case! We have had some really great weather in between the rain, rain, and more rain, and it's been downright refreshing. Needed is really a better term. This renewed feeling had been healing, and God has really been using it in my life lately. I've been on this crazy journey that, thus far, has led me to the idea of forgiveness, in a round about sort of way.
If you had asked me 6 months ago if I considered myself a forgiving person, the answer would have been a hundred million times "YES!". I've always been quick to forgive a friend, my husband, a family member, etc., because I genuinely love the relationships in my life and couldn't bear to see them cease. Until recently, I've really prided myself in my ability to forgive.
During a bible study, I've been studying what it means to truly give something over to God, and I think that this goes hand in hand with forgiving someone. When you forgive someone, you give that experience to God and you quit worrying about it yourself. I've discovered that forgiving means so much more than just stating "I forgive you" or "I give this to you, Lord." It means not dwelling on it, not thinking of all the comebacks you could have said, not retelling the story in every dramatic detail for anyone who cared to ask (and even some who didn't!). I have to say I found myself guilty on all of the previously mentioned things. I'm so quick to say "Thank you Lord for delivering me from this!", but so slow to truly let it go. I'm still talking about it for months to come, still telling my friends what horrible thing happened to me. Beth Moore refers to it like this: "You've walked through the fire, but you still smell like smoke!"
Lately I've been thinking about the people in my life that I have a long-standing grudge against. I know this sounds so dramatic, so don't get me wrong here, it's not a long list! But, there is a list, and it's about time for me to clean it out! From ex-coworkers to friends or family members, I've got some cleaning to do. I've got my spriritual Febreeze in hand and I'm ready to lose this smokey stench I'm carrying around. But it's a process.
So that's what's going on in my world right now. I believe that this forgiveness journey will be so rewarding. I feel peaceful in life right now, but I know that this will bring even more. I love this about growing closer to the Lord. It always ends up better than you imagined, ya know?
What's new with you? Is Spring working on anything in your hearts? Tell me! I want to know! Have a great week, peeps!
