For Lent Only - You Forgave Me 

Bible Verse Memorization Plan & Reflection.  

Walks with you through the 40 days of Lent.  

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Tonight I was reading a newsletter/blog  from a man who has been  in prison for 16 years.   This prisoner, now a friend of mine,  received a phone call telling him that the prosecutor at his trial had just committed suicide.   Of course this stirred up so many emotions.  " I have every right to feel bitterness and anger toward a man who manipulated my accusers' lies, ignored and suppressed exculpatory evidence, and took part in a trial-by-media that was like a pre-trial lynch mob."  Phew.  6,000 days are a lot of days to sit in small prison cell, contemplating one's innocence and trying desperately to keep bitterness and anger at bay.   It took him three days to get to the point of even being able to pray for the soul of this prosecutor after he heard of his death.  But he did get there. He also posted a picture of Christ's crown of thorns at the end of his newsletter, and I knew that this aptly depicted  the agony of his journey  towards  being able to "forgive the prosecutor" as God forgives all of us.    

This "testimony" meant  a lot more to me today because I just finished John Grisham's very newest novel in which there is a young man imprisoned unjustly and on death row.   It is a heartbreaker.  I won't give the story away but this does head us in the right direction to Thursday's Bible verse and reflection.  Memorize both verses this week.  They are words, once lived,  will bring you great happiness.

"Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you; good measure pressed down, shaken together running over, will be put into your lap.  For the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

Judge not and you will not be judged:

 How often do we make simple and "quick" judgments about a comment a friend made, interpret our husband's silence to mean something he didn't mean by it, quickly scold a child without even hearing his side of things or praying about what we should do before we start yelling, , or maybe look askance  at "sinners" and not even see the person,  feel their pain or try to understand their woundedness, or give them the benefit of the doubt.   Oh, and how we hate it when someone judges  our motives. It makes us feel helpless, angry and hurt.

Condemn not and you will not be condemned.

 I think of "judging" as something that goes on in our mind.  We might hide it, cover it up, but many times we let our judgment or our ' beliefs'   settle in our hearts, often without all of the  facts.  

Condemnation makes me think of what happens after the judging settles into our heart.  It is what comes out of our heart towards someone or a group of people  that we have judged.   It is the acting out of the judgment.   Have you ever hated when someone yells at you, blames you, hurlsinsults at you. You might feel as if they are condemning you.  Don't you feel tremendous shame?  Me too.  It's not a good feeling.  The memory of it can maim one for life.   

*Oh, the picture above is the prison in New Hampshire where the prisoner writes his newsletter on an old typewriter and mails it to his sister who then puts it onto the internet.   

Now for the very beautiful part...  Forigive, and you will be forgiven.  The very act of "forgiving" softens your heart.  A peace falls over you, a calm -new life and joy. The people in the picture here don't appear as they are holding any grudges!  This can be us! 

Oh and the next part of the scripture is so much fun to think about.  Give (love) and it (love) will be given to you;  good measure pressed down...shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  Maybe you won't get "the love" from the person you forgave in your heart, but it will come from someplace.  God's word is true.  Wait and watch... but first beg God to show you the way to put that crown of thorns on and walk the journey of your three days to forgiveness.  Let the love of God, which passes all understanding, teach you His ways.   

Come out of Lent a new woman.            Oh,  Happy Lent!