Titus Two

To say that your thoughts are privately held in a vault that God cannot see is to be sorely disappointed when He sends you these words.

This morning I awoke to haunting reminders of people who I have chosen to ‘not be around.’ In recent days, subtle and not-so-subtle arrows have been soaring overhead ~~ bringing up past incidents that cause my mind to go reeling. The past hurts and anguishing moments that I thought had been dealt with suddenly are playing in my mind in HD.

As I sat down to ‘breakfast with Jesus,’ this verse came into view. It riveted me to my seat in humility ~~ so I prayed.

As I confessed my pain and sorrow, I asked the Lord to help me see these who have offended me as He does. He died for me ~~ and He died for them.

And while I may not extend the invitation to join me for dinner or to go have coffee, I prayed for them and how I should see them. God has them ~~ their situations ~~ even if their lives do not include me, I must continue to pray for how I think of them.

Funny, this verse says anyone who offends you ~~ there isn’t the distinction of saved or unsaved. All the more I am convicted, but now I must respond as one who knows the Lord, The One Who saves.

I’ll be first to say it is not easy, Sister. There is no instantaneous removal of the painful memories ~~ so my mind can wander and erroneously pick those back up, twirl them around in my head and give space to entertaining the what-if’s. But God does not say to justify my feelings; He simply says to forgive.

Because He first forgave you (me).

Allow me to reach out to you this moment, Sweet Sister. In whatever pain or anguish you may presently be experiencing that involves another person. While I cannot tell you how to relate to such a person, I can encourage you to go to The Person Who can transform your heart ❤️ so that you can effectively respond to the tug you now feel. The Lord is always near ~~ and He Whispers love to you this day.

I will join you and keep you in my prayers for peace, assurance, comfort ~~ because that is what God promises you if you’ll let Him lead you through your Journey.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.