Reoccuring Themes

Here in the lovely industrial part of Toronto, there is not a lot of things to do. The local flower is concrete and the community hobby is driving. Hardly anything is close enough for you to walk to. You either suck it up and walk to the destination of your desire, pay the bus fare, or bribe the blessed people with cars to take you. The last two rarely occur during the week days. So, out of boredom and desperation for something to do, patterns emerge. The most popular things to do would be going to the gym that lies five minutes away for the sporty people determined to keep their figures, make the trek to the nearest mall that is a 30 minute walk, or- the favorite- make the fifteen minute walk to Tim Horton's for the weekly/daily/hourly donut/coffee. If you're not out doing one of these things the other options that are offered are foosball, air hockey and ping pong. There are educational and meaningful things to do...but we are the young and procrastinating sector of society. We put everything off until the last minute. This in itself is a pattern. Everything has pattern; as do the teachings that we receive.

From the first teaching to the most recent, everything can be narrowed down to two things to increase intimacy with God: Repent and Forgive. Repent- to turn away from, a precursor to forgiveness. Forgiveness- to let go. In Layman's Terms, this is how it is. 

I've had to do this repeatedly for three weeks and when I first heard it I was practically in the womb. But when I kept hearing it hear I got annoyed. However, if they keep telling us this, then obviously society does have a problem with this and just doesn't know how to confront it

By not allowing ourselves to repent and let go of the offenses of others -or even the offenses that we ourselves have made- real wholeness/intimacy with God gets messed up. When we hold offenses we are "drinking the poison intended for the other person and really killing ourselves." The other person cannot feel the intense grudge or feelings that we are harboring. They go on living their lives virtually unaffected while we do everything we can to "subtly" make them understand how they have hurt us.

 

But this is how I feel on the issue: If something as small as ticked off emotions are getting in my way of an awesome relationship with God and the things that He has for me, I want to fix it! I want God and His thickness- only thicker!  

We destroy ourselves with hatred and we are being made for love. Love is easier and expels hatred. Life is much easier and healing comes much quicker. I feel a lot better for it.