"Peter approached Jesus and asked him, 'Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I say to you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'"
Matthew 18:21-22
Jesus might as well have told Peter a million times! Because what he meant was Peter has to forgive others EVERY time. And Jesus is telling us that, too. Jesus calls on us to do stuff that is way too hard for humans to do...like forgiving every time and loving our enemies and welcoming strangers, and taking care of people who can't give back. Jesus is asking us to do things that are especially difficult for humans. We tend to want people to admire us for what we do and we may want to take revenge on others who do us harm. So, what gives? Jesus is asking the impossible because Jesus wants us to draw from the deep Source within us that may not seem readily accessible. Jesus wants us to draw from the God/Love within us to do these seemingly impossible things. God's love is imbedded within our hearts and will give us just what we need to forgive others and love each other fully, if we just sit still long enough to tap into it. If we can take the time to see others the way God sees them, we can love them. It's certainly harder in our "Us against Them" world, but again, it's not impossible if we tap into the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Today, let's be aware of acting contrary to our first instincts. If we become angry or impatient, let's go deep inside and pull out the grace we need to take a deep breath and recognize the indwelling God within the other person. The indwelling God within us can see and appreciate the indwelling God within them. That is the Gospel. That is what Jesus wants us to do. Love, heidi
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