Forgiveness

The message of today: forgiveness...it was said over and over again during church. Forgive those that have wronged you, with no limit, unconditionally. How many times must I forgive Him Father? 70 x 7, or, to one young innocent child sitting at the feet of her Pastor "a long ways away". Yes, a long ways away, so far away we can't see it anymore. Oh how difficult this forgiveness can be to send off these "wrongs" to the horizon, especially on a day like today.
And then in Bible study we hear of Joseph. Perhaps naive, perhaps not, but fulfilling God's plan none the less.

I think of how naive Timmy can be, how he states facts simply because they are facts, not thinking anyone would take offense to them. And I think of Joseph, talking about his dreams, excitedly, oblivious to the anger he his roiling up in his brothers. How he trustingly traveled 60 miles to meet up with them, only to be thrown in a pit and sold off to slavery.

And how, in the end, when he forgives them he tells them that it was not THEM that had done these things to him, but God. Joseph doesn't have an ounce of resentment towards his brothers. Oh, how I pray for this peace! We look at Joseph's forgiveness and how much it is like God's forgiveness to us: unconditional, without hesitation, with complete and total love, despite all that has been done wrong.

There's always something, usually simple, that jumps out and speaks volumes to me when going through these Bible studies. This time was no different. We are talking about this parallel: Joseph, like God, forgives his brothers, as God forgives us. Then Joseph sends his brothers to get their families. He sends them on a journey together. What is the last thing he says to them? "Do not quarrel with one another along the way." At first this made me giggle....not, "Safe travels", or "Love you, see you soon", or even, "God's peace." How well Joseph must have known his brothers! And how well God knows us. He not only cares about our relationship with Him, but our relationship with each other as we go on this journey through life, "Do not quarrel with one another along the way." Joseph had loved his brothers so much, and had forgiven them in that love, that he wanted them to experience the same love for one another. So it is with God and us, He wants us to love each other as He loves us.

Sometimes, no, often times, it is hard to see the good in eachother, to not find fault, to not gossip or quarrel. But that is God's wish for us, and so, as I pray for forgiveness, and the strength to forgive, I pray for the ability to not quarrel. What a word!