When Others Sin Against You...

This morning at breakfast my daughter grumbled, "daddy, my sister interrupted me when I was talking!"  To which I immediately replied, "...and how does that make you feel?"  After thinking about it, her demeanor softened, she smiled and said, "I forgive her."

Repetition is the foundation of all understanding and in our house we continually expose our hearts.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner serve as family worship times where we reject the temptation to talk about others and gladly accept talking about our "highs," "lows," and every thought that needs to be exposed.  Secrets, shame, and guilt are forbidden in our house. Openness, honesty and confession are embraced as signs that we believe the Gospel has set us free to accept our need for the Savior.

If adults are being honest, we can admit that our temptation is identical to my toddler; namely, the temptation to focus on what happened to us rather than the state of our hearts.  And our prayers are more focused on changing others behavior rather than a plea to see others through eyes of forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

Let this be our prayer today: Lord give me your eyes for others.  Love others through me.