Talk is easy. Advice comes quickly. It’s easy to comment when you’re sitting in the stands, but when you’re involved in the game yourself, it’s not always so easy to follow your own advice. 

I wrote a sermon about forgiveness. I explained nicely what the Bible expects of us and that we must forgive like Jesus. The person who has done something wrong against us deserves forgiveness just as little as we do. 

Here is an extract:  

It’s easy to tell someone you forgive them if they might have said something against you: “No, it’s fine, I forgive you!” But even if it affects you, takes something from you, or if you are physically harmed, or financially harmed by what they did, or your health suffers, your mind falls into a black pit, you suffer a physical or emotional deficiency, or whatever, you must forgive. 

A week later, a letter arrived confirming again that a few hundred thousand rand that was promised to me was now going to someone else. Wow, that was a hard blow and I dived right into that pit. 

My own words started playing in my head. Forgive the people who do something to you, even if they hurt you. When it cuts you to the bone, it’s very hard. 

At the end of the sermon, we played Nicholis Louw’s song “Forget and Forgive”. Sometimes it’s easier to forgive, but forgetting often sticks like toffee. Especially when it affects your pocket. 

I suspect we think about what we could do or where we could be in life if we had the money. It’s human, because we often see our world through our dreams and want to get there one day. And if something stops us from getting there, we don’t want to forget and forgive.  

Yet, God expects it from us. He expects a different lifestyle from us. Different from what the world prescribes. We must do as God wants us to, even if it’s in the opposite direction to the rest of the world. 

To the world it is meaningless. 4Of course, your old friends don’t understand why you don’t join in with the old gang anymore.  

Yes, sometimes we have to suffer. Sometimes people hurt us. Sometimes people talk badly about us and drag our name through the mud. At times like these, we have to bite our tongue and say nothing. 

We mustn’t become discouraged and focus on the loss. Trust God to show you another way sometime and help you to achieve your dreams. Accept the apparent loss, because God will help you win again. 

The world may not understand our decision to follow God’s way, but we mustn’t let them break our speed. God remains in control. 

Scripture
1 Peter 4:1-6 

Reflection
Are you living differently?
Can others see that you are different?
Where should you live differently? 

Prayer
Father, I don’t know if the world always notices that I live differently. Please help me through Your Spirit who lives in me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.