God Wants Your List

“Love does not keep a record of wrongs.”
I Corinthians 13:5 TEV

Do you remember the story about the man who was bitten by the dog? When he learned the dog had rabies, he began making a list. The doctor told him there was no need to make a will, that the rabies could be cured. “Oh, I’m not making a will,” he replied. “I’m making a list of all the people I want to bite.”

Forgiveness is not always something that comes easy but it can be a great faith exercise.  In my own personal experiences, this is the case.  It is so difficult for me to forgive people for things that have happened but it's made so much easier if you look to Christ and ask him for help.  The example of the sinner that points out the sliver in one mans eye while he has a plank in his own can be applied to my own life.  Theoretically, it should be very simple for me to forgive those that need forgiving.  I sin every day and every day I need to ask God to forgive me for the things I've done wrong so I should be more than willing to forgive the person that makes one mistake that happens to effect me.  Realistically though, it's not always that easy.  I think our human nature is to carry around these grudges and wait for a chance to get our revenge.  Forgiving requires so many things from Christ.  We need the humility to understand and know we are no better.  We need trust and self control to know that God is in control and it is not for us to make sure the person that wronged us sees their mistake.  If we can use Christ as our example and show the love he shows us, it is so much easier.