I got a bit nostalgic the other day. Well, no, that’s not the right word. I got to thinking about the past the other day. And not the good things.
Images and events came to mind that made me want to crawl under my desk in shame. I felt the hot blush of embarrassment as I thought of things I’d said or not said, of things I’d done or failed to do. How many things are there in my past on which I’d love to have a “do over”?
I need to remember those things. Not to shame myself or keep myself humble. No, I need to remember those times as I deal with people who have wronged me in the past. I need to remember my mistakes, my awful mistakes, as I listen to others say things that hurt me deeply.
I think about my past mistakes and feel that I’ve grown and moved on from those moments. I need to give others the opportunity to do the same.
Image courtesy of MorgueFile.com
Clyde Shallenberger, who served for decades as the chief chaplain at Johns Hopkins Hospital, has said that God has given us two eyes in the front of our head. Therefore we are to look forward and not backwards. It may sound simplistic but it has been a helpful reminder for me many times in my life.
Thank you for this good word about forgiveness and grace. We’ve all sinned, sometimes in some pretty horrifying ways and relish in the grace of God. So may we extend the same grace to others that we have received from God.
And I’m thinking about this as my twitter feed is filled with critical reports about a few well-known church leaders whose failures and sins have become “the talk of the town.”
Tim,
i should’ve asked you much sooner (something quite off topic, sorry)–have you ever read Guy Hershberger’s ‘War, Peace, and Non-resistance.’ If not, i think it’s right up your alley. After a lot of reading, i finally felt like someone was saying what i was thinking (at least the closest so far anyway). i suspect you’ll feel the same way.
–guy
Guy, I haven’t read that. I’m currently reading Farewell to Mars by Zahnd (reading in my downtime; it’s on my iPhone). He brings up some interesting thoughts.