Faith – Page 38 – Growing 4 Life

The Buzzing Fly

Leave a Comment / September 24, 2012 September 24, 2012

I was reading in my bed. It was after 10:30 pm and I was comfortably snuggled in for the night with book in hand. That is, until the fly came around. You know the kind I mean – the kind that buzz around your head loudly and incessantly and move so quickly you can hardly spot them. At first, I tried to ignore it. But it was impossible. It seemed to have some special attraction for my head and would not go away. Irritation set in. Why now? Why won’t it just go away? But I got myself out of bed and grabbed a fly swatter and then set up watch.

I am glad no one was watching, because I am sure I looked ridiculous standing there in my pajamas with a fly swatter poised up in the air, just waiting for the annoying fly to land somewhere. This went on for several minutes but the thing never landed. It just flew quickly to and fro.

But then I stopped to listen. I didn’t hear any buzzing. Perhaps it had left? I looked around in the light shed by just a single lamp in the room. I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t hear it. I sighed and climbed back in bed, the fly swatter within arms’ length, just in case.

I started reading again and enjoyed a few moments of peace and quiet. A few moments. Until that crazy fly returned, ruining my peace once again.

This reminds me so much of how it works with problems we don’t want to deal with. We are comfortable…but then our teenager says something worrisome or we hear something disturbing about a family member. Oh well, perhaps it’s nothing to worry about. And then we hear something else or perhaps someone even comes to talk to us about a problem they see. But we don’t want to rock the boat and so the buzzing continues. And then, quite suddenly, the buzzing goes away for awhile and we think the problem has disappeared. Just about the time we are starting to let our guard down, it shows up again, worse than ever.

You see, most problems won’t just disappear. If we don’t face them head on, they are not only likely to come back around, they are probably going to get worse. Unlike a fly that is limited in the damage it can do and is simply an annoyance with a really short life span, problems can blossom into huge things that will change our lives, if we aren’t careful.

A teenager that is interested in an unbeliever can turn into a troubled marriage.

A young adult who gives no care to a budget can turn into a debt-laden adult, struggling to just survive.

A person who gives in to their passion for eating can turn into an obese person who can’t fit in airplane seats or amusement park rides.

A teenager that hangs around with the wrong friends can turn into a pregnant teen or drug user.

A husband that spends too much time online has become the cause of many a divorce.

A wife that flirts with a co-worker becomes the beginning of an affair.

These are just a few of the scenarios that play themselves out if we don’t deal with issues head on. It is so much easier, in the short-term, to just bury our heads in the sand. But, oh, the devastating consequences of not dealing with things when they are manageable, instead of waiting until it is almost too late (for nothing is ever “too late” for God).

Of course, there are some times when it is better to wait it out and practice patience while we watch and pray. And so that is the tricky place we find ourselves in. But, let’s remember, that watching and praying is doing something, too.

What we don’t want to do is simply ignore problems.

As for that fly, I can’t even remember what happened (isn’t that pathetic?! the sad truth about my 40-something memory) But whatever happened, it did teach me a lesson that evening.

The Blind Spot

2 Comments / September 20, 2012 September 20, 2012

1986_Oldsmobile_Cutlass_Supreme — My car looked a little something like this
– only it was rust-colored!

When we first got married, we owned a rust-colored Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. It was a large car, which was fairly typical for the 80’s. The thing about that car is that it had a terrible blind spot. The back windows were just tiny and there was a large area that made it hard to see if a car was coming. Very hard. So one day, as I came to a stop sign at a “Y”, I looked both ways. I pulled out and almost instantly heard a great crash. When it was all over, I had hit a car – a brand new red sports car the driver had just picked up. Needless to say she, understandably, was absolutely furious with me. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. I never saw her or her bright red car.

Blind spots are the worst. After that, I took even greater care making sure that I looked both ways and I never did have an accident again (in that car, at least!) Blind spots are not just in cars, either. We often see blind spots in people, too. Everyone sees a very noticeable issue in someone’s life, but the person with the issue just can’t see it. It may be a naughty or precocious child or a teenager that parents think is perfect (children seem to often be our blind spot, don’t they?) But it could also be a streak of anger or self-indulgence or rebellion that the person can’t see in themselves, but is glaringly obvious to everyone else. It may be a lack of discipline in finances or eating or drinking, that someone is blinded to think is under control, even though everyone around them knows it is not. It may even be how someone views God’s Word – as if they are the authority and whatever they believe it to say is “truth”, giving no heed to historical Christianity or the interpretation of godly men. They are blinded by their own arrogance and pride.

Blind spots can cause a lot of problems. We don’t want to speak and offend. And, oftentimes, if we do – in the case of dear family members and friends – they can’t see it, anyway, and it just causes a rift in the relationship. So I am not here to write about the blind spots of others but, instead, about our own blind spots. How do we make sure we aren’t hindered and hurting others by our own blind spots? How do we make sure to live a life pleasing to the Lord despite the inevitable blind spots?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Ask the Lord to show you any area where you may be blinded. Ask Him to make it clear to you if you are not seeing your children, or your faults, or His Word with clarity and accuracy. I have prayed this prayer many a time. Sometimes I didn’t really like the answer! Sometimes the truth hurts. But, in the long run, it hurts a lot less than living under false beliefs.

2. Stay in God’s Word. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) The Bible shows us where we are blind. If we read and study it, it pierces our soul with conviction. If we are listening to godly preaching, we are made aware of areas we need to grow. Only through keeping ourselves immersed in God’s Word, studying and listening to biblically solid and strong preaching and teaching are we challenged to keep growing in the faith.

3. When the Lord does show you a blind spot, be humble enough to accept it and then work to change it. It is so hard to be teachable, isn’t it? My first instinct is to lash out in a defensive spirit or blame others. But it is only by being teachable that we can become better people and grow more like Christ. And once we become aware of something (through prayer and God’s Word) it is much easier to recognize it when it crops up. For instance, I recognize, all these years later, that if I am tired or hormonal, I get very grumpy. I used to deny it (silly of me) and blame everyone else for my bad day, but now I am fully aware of this tendency and, while I still get grumpy, I am realistic about it’s origin and try my best to keep it short-lived. This is because I am looking at it realistically and with open eyes, instead of blindly blaming other people for what is my own problem.

Do you have a blind spot today? It is my guess that we all have them – even if they are not obvious to the world around us. Through prayer and God’s Word we can become aware of them and then the Holy Spirit will comfort and guide us as we work at changing and fixing problem areas. The Christian life is hard work, but the rewards are great. It is so important to keep this in mind, in our mega-instant world, as we continue to grow more like Christ in a very “anti-Christ” world.

My Held Hand

2 Comments / September 6, 2012 September 6, 2012

The adorable two year old skipped by her daddy’s side. She was trying awfully hard to behave and when daddy reached for her hand, she said “No!” and pulled away. Thankfully, she had a very wise daddy who insisted. He grabbed her hand and together they walked along. As they walked, in her excitement and immaturity, she would slip and almost fall but her daddy would hold her up. When she strayed to look at some interesting distraction, he would gently guide her back onto the path. And when a car came swerving around the corner, daddy whisked her out of the way. He could do that because he was strong. Way stronger than the little girl.

Isn’t this just like God? I was challenged by just this illustration last night at church. So often I try to do it all by myself. I skip along and ignore God and then I get discouraged when I can’t do it. But, if I am a believer, God is there to protect, comfort, and guide–just like that little girl and her daddy. When we fall, God is there to pick us up. Where we are weak, He is strong. And when we stray off the path, if we hold tight to His hand and follow Him, He will get us back where we need to be.

I don’t know about you, but as I was listening last night, I felt a wave of relief upon hearing that. Funny thing was, I knew all of this already. But, here lately, I had been trying to win some of my battles on my own.

I am ready to give my best this morning with the knowledge that someone far greater and more powerful than myself is always there – to catch me, to guide me, and to steady me. Thank you, Lord, for that reminder last night.

Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.

Celebrating Work

2 Comments / September 3, 2012 September 3, 2012

Most of us do not enjoy working. We live for the weekends and the rest of the week is just what we need to get through to get to them. This is very unfortunate, because if you do your math, 71% of your week is made up of week days. Only 29% are considered weekend days. Of course, if you throw Friday nights in there it might be a little higher.

Do you enjoy what you do? Are you able to glorify and praise God as you work in the office, flip hamburgers, fix somebody’s leaky faucet, repair a car engine, buy stocks on Wall Street, argue in the court room, plow a field, cut hair, pick parts on an assembly line, or change a diaper?

I believe our true character is what shows when we are working. It’s not hard to be happy and light-hearted when we are doing something we enjoy. But when we are going through the daily grind of wherever the Lord has placed us, then it becomes a little harder. Even if we generally love what we do, we all have bad days…days when we wonder how we ended up in this job…days when we wonder if there couldn’t possibly be something better out there.

Labor Day was created to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Whether we are one of the highest paid doctors in the country or a stay at home mom raising the next generation, if you live in the United States, you are an American worker. Are you able to thank the Lord for the blessing of your job this Labor Day? There are many who do not have one and wish they did.

Let’s spend today enjoying picnics with family and friends, but let’s not forget to thank God for the privilege to work.

Safe or on the edge?

9 Comments / August 30, 2012 August 30, 2012

Have you ever seen one of those TV nature shows about lions and their prey? On the TV screen we see hundreds of innocent wildebeests standing there innocently while a lion quietly prowls on the edge of the herd looking for the weaker ones. The lion waits and watches. A few of the wildebeests look up and sniff the air, sensing that something isn’t right. A sense of unrest permeates the air. And then, at just the right moment, the lion starts running towards the pack at high speed. This sets them all in a frenzy and they start running – all of them – in the same direction. Unfortunately, there are always a few stragglers. They are sickly, or weak and old, or perhaps young and naive. We watch as the lions chooses his prey and then pounces on it. His powerful claws rip into its fur and take it down to its knees. And then he uses his powerful jaws to kill the poor, innocent creature. About that time, they break to commercial and we are left feeling sad and sorry for the ill-fated beast that met death so violently.

Did you ever think about why Peter talks about the devil being like a lion? I Peter 5:8 says: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

I think Peter wrote that because he knows that we are just like those wildebeests. Some of us are leaders in the pack and we are the ones that shout “run” and lead the pack away from danger. Others of us aren’t leaders but we are careful to keep ourselves protected by keeping our eyes open and staying safely away from the edges. And then there are those of us who just seem to always want to be occupying the edge. We are crippled and weak spiritually and we can’t keep up with the group. Or we are naive and think we don’t need Jesus to help us live on a daily basis, trying to make it on our own strength.

And then there are those who are weak just because of where they find themselves in life. Some are young and naive and need our protection from pride and foolish choices as they grow in discernment and wisdom. Some are old and weak and need our help to protect them from falling prey to things like depression, loneliness, and self-pity.

I know it is not very flattering to compare people to a great big bunch of wildebeests, but I find it amazing how God directed Peter to write that verse about the devil. We can never forget that the devil is seeking to devour us! He is setting temptations before us and he is spotting the weak and sickly Christians among us. And while he can never take our salvation away, he is trying to destroy our faith and render us ineffective for the cause of Christ. He is trying to steal our joy and our peace. He is trying to extinguish our gospel light.

The sad thing is we often allow him to do so, don’t we? We become so disenchanted with life and so frustrated by outward circumstances that we are often rendered ineffective. Or we become so enamored with the world that we lose sight of what is most important in life.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be one of those poor creatures on the edges. I would prefer to remain safely among godly Christian friends and leaders. I want to help encourage and protect. But it is only by relying on Jesus and filling our minds with His Word and praying without ceasing that we can elude the clutches of the roaring lion.

Invisible Pain

Leave a Comment / August 23, 2012 November 1, 2012

All of us will have times in our lives where we suffer pain that is very obvious to those around us – the illness or death of a loved one, a fire that destroys our possessions, a wayward child, or a divorce. But then there are the times that we suffer very invisibly.

Everything looks like it should be okay from the outside looking in. And no one could guess that we are falling apart on the inside. Invisible pain may be due to a chronic illness that we choose not to discuss. It may be due to a marriage that is falling apart inside the home, but maintains its perfect picture to those outside of it. It may be the betrayal of a friend or family member. Or it may be a high stress job where we are called to compromise our faith or perhaps we are even living under the threat of losing a job. Many times it is as simple as there isn’t enough money to pay the bills and it’s causing great turmoil in our home. It may even be struggling through the consequences of past sin that only we know about – an abortion, a child put up for adoption, an affair. Whatever it is, it is personal and private and only those closest to us realize we are suffering. And maybe we haven’t told another soul…maybe only God knows.

There is one certain thing about invisible pain: it is a lonely place to be. Whether we are watching a soccer game, working at our job , or shopping for groceries, the invisible pain follows us. It is constantly just a thought away in our minds. And yet we remain silent.

This has happened to me several times throughout my life. I was suffering deeply and to the rest of the world everything looked perfect. I have learned from those experiences that looks can be deceiving. I can’t automatically assume that all is perfect in someone else’s world just because it looks like it is to me. It makes me think of one of those bright, shiny, red apples. It looks perfectly delicious. You can’t imagine it being anything other than fresh and crunchy inside. And then you take that first bite. The apple is tasteless and sandy. Just because everything looks perfect on the outside, doesn’t mean it is perfect on the inside.

We may not be in the position to know what is going on in their life, but it is important to have a realistic view of people. All people struggle through tough times. There is no one alive – whether they live in a 45,000 square foot mansion in Hollywood or a hut in Haiti– who doesn’t face tough times at one time or another. We all do. And many of our struggles are not noticeable to the rest of the world. We can never assume that someone who looks put together on the outside feels the same way on the inside.

So let’s be kind and considerate in our relationships with each other, always edifying and encouraging. And if we find out that someone is struggling silently, let’s come along side and offer our love and support instead of gossip and malicious words behind their back. Let’s share the love of Jesus, so that we will never be filled with regret in how we treated someone. It is likely that you will run into someone who is struggling through incredible, invisible pain today. Brighten their day with a warm smile and an encouraging word. And let’s be careful not to make assumptions about others.

I Thessalonians 5: 14-15 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

P.S. I can’t help think, as I write this, about my run-in with the old man at the mall this week. I wish I would have responded differently. I actually wrote this blog post before that happened, and I am finding myself filled with regret at not handling that with a smile and kind words. Just because I can write good things, doesn’t mean I always live them. Please…never hold me up as any kind of perfect model. I wish I was, but alas, I am just a woman who loves the Lord and likes to write.

Wednesday Wisdom: Empty Me

3 Comments / August 22, 2012 August 22, 2012

Yesterday, I sent my daughters to get a head start in a clothing store, while I made a quick stop at the AT&T store. As I crossed the aisle to find my daughters, I saw a tall, thin, older man walking with purpose. He had a thick head of grayish white hair parted to the side and big, dark-rimmed glasses and looked quite dignified. I hesitated, thinking he may let me step in front of him, but not wanting to assume anything.

He barreled towards me and as he got close, he glared at me and said in a hard voice, “you’re wrong if you think I’m moving” and continued walking past me. I don’t think I have ever been so surprised in my life! To be so rudely treated was surprising but for it to be by someone so dignified-looking, well, I think you could have knocked me over with a feather. Well, at least after I yelled after him that he was quite a gentleman! (probably shouldn’t have done that…)

This world is so full of people who only care about their agenda, their purposes, and their lives. And the scary thing is– if I am not careful, I can quickly become one of them. It is so easy to get caught up in my own selfish world.

A few years ago, a young man named Chris Sligh sang the following song. I can never listen to this song without feeling convicted of my selfishness. I think how true it is that selfish ambitions are vain and that pride is like a poison and then I sing along with Chris, “empty me of me, so I can be filled with You”.

EMTPY ME

I’ve had just enough of the spotlight
When it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood
And I’ve tasted my share
Of the sweet life
And the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough

I know how i can stray
And how fast my heart could change

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you

I’ve seen just enough of the quick buys
Of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change
Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you

‘Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you
Compared to you
‘Cause everything is a lesser thing
Compared to you
So I surrender all

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you.
Filled with you
Empty me

You can listen to this song here.

Constant Gardener

3 Comments / August 13, 2012 August 13, 2012

Big mistake. Big, big mistake. At least when it comes to the world of gardening. I remembered looking through the seed catalog several years ago. It is always one of my favorite winter activities –poring over the colorful garden catalogs. That particular year I made the fateful choice to buy a packet of seeds labeled “Grandpa Otto’s Morning Glory”. Oh, if only I would have known. If I had had even an inkling of what was to come, I would never have bought that seed packet.

This past Saturday night, I spent the evening, yet again, ripping out morning glory plants that had grown up all through my square foot garden boxes. What has made this summer so much more frustrating is that this spring we had built new boxes. We had laid down a weed barrier and then had dumped layers of fresh, virgin, seedless soil in them. There shouldn’t have been a morning glory seed anywhere around my boxes.

When I saw the first heart-shaped leaf early this summer my heart sank. No! You have to be kidding me. That stupid, invasive, beautiful plant was back. As I became busier in the month of July and didn’t have as much time to keep after the garden, the morning glories saw their chance and grew with a vengeance until they had climbed up through the sweet peas and raspberries. Their tendrils wrapping around and choking my peppers and my strawberries. What had started out as an innocent act of planting a tiny packet of seeds years earlier had turned into a gardening nightmare that would never go away.

Of course, many of you have probably already guessed where I am going with this. You see, sin is so much like that packet of seeds. It looks so beautiful, so small. It looks way too innocent to ever cause much grief. But the seed of a little sin, just like those annoying morning glories, grows and grows and then blossoms and eventually it sets fruit. And then the seeds start spilling out from the fruit and we find the sin multiplying on every side of us.

Some people just give up and let the sin continue to grow and multiply. They decide to just try to survive the jungle growing around them the best they can.

But, as Christians, we don’t have this option, do we? And, so we are called to be very careful about what seeds we plant. Are we planting good seeds or bad seeds? Galatians 6:7 tells us: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. We fool ourselves if we think we can plant just a bit of evil in our lives.

Of course, most of us make the mistake of planting the wrong packet of seeds a time or two. I can look back in my life and see many times where I planted the wrong thing and I am still paying for that today. It is frustrating and discouraging to see the wrong fruit growing in the garden of our life. Especially when it seems to be over-taking the good fruit.

And, so, as Christians, we become the Constant Gardener. We have the responsibility to constantly be searching and pulling the sin and the fruits of that sin from our lives and nurturing and growing the fruits of the Spirit. But, by doing so, we experience the immense joy of living a life that is hopeful and fruitful, instead of muddling through the jungle.

I guess we should all spend a little time gardening today!

Trading for the Trivial

Leave a Comment / August 9, 2012 August 9, 2012

Do you remember Esau? Yes, the guy in the Bible. He was the older twin brother of Jacob. One day he came in from the field weary and hungry. His brother was in the midst of making a delicious red stew. When Esau asked for some, Jacob saw his opportunity. He told him that he would give him some stew in exchange for his birthright. In those days, this was a big deal. The older son was much more privileged than the younger son and by trading his birthright for a bowl of stew, he was giving up his inheritance. You can read this story for yourself in Genesis 25.

I have always thought of Esau as very foolish! What man in his right mind would exchange something so important for a bowl of food? And then it hit me. I do that almost everyday. I am in the habit of regularly exchanging self-control and a healthy body for a bowl of ice cream or a serving of french fries. When I think about it like this, I realize that I am not all that different than Esau.

We also do the same thing when we trade:

–our financial well-being for a car we can’t afford

–our spiritual well-being for 2 hours of ungodly entertainment

–a healthy marriage for a moment of griping and complaining about something trivial

–our children’s well-being for the temporary moment of peace that comes when we don’t discipline them

–our Christian testimony for a glass of beer or an hour at the gambling table

–our integrity for a few bucks on a tax form

–a healthy body for an hour of laziness and tv-watching

Most of us are trading what is most important for what is trivial almost every day. We wile away our entire lives on the unimportant, never realizing the great sacrifices we are making to do so.

Quite frankly, I can’t even relate to what Esau did because it is not part of our culture. We couldn’t trade a birthright in our culture, even if we tried. And so this story has always remained rather an enigma to me. And, then the other day, as I was reading it once again, it was made so clear to me. I can see how I am just like an American style Esau. Trading what is most important to me almost every day for something really stupid.

Some of the things I am trading aren’t even sinful in and of themselves. A bowl of ice cream or an order of fries isn’t sinful. Buying a new car isn’t sinful. But it is the attitude. It is the habit. It is the lack of self-control. It is the desire of self-gratification over the desire for doing what is right.

I don’t know about you, but I will never read that story in the Bible the same way again.

The mouse, the hibiscus, and a lesson in resilience

Leave a Comment / August 6, 2012 August 6, 2012

Late this spring I purchased two beautiful hibiscus trees at Sam’s Club to replace the ones that had died in our greenhouse last winter. They were covered with bright reddish-orange flowers. But when I brought them home the weather was still too cold to put them outside permanently. My husband decided to slide them into the garage for protection until we could put them outside. I would peek in at them once in awhile to see how they were doing and one day I noticed the one tree drooping considerably. I gave it a good drink of water. It continued to droop and started to look like it was dying. And then one day I found it outside our garage. Eric had noticed the drooping tree, as well, and had investigated. What he figured out was a surprise to both of us! The roots of this poor tree had been eaten away by our resident mice. We knew they were there and had been working to be rid of them. But who knew that mice liked to eat hibiscus roots?

We considered the tree a goner. So little of the root system was left that it would topple over at just the slightest provocation. Ironically, the mice had not attacked the other plant and that one was doing just fine. We removed both of them to a safe place and we waited. And we watered. And we watched.

And then one day we saw the struggling tree push forth a bloom. And then another one. Until it rivaled its partner. The hibiscus tree had a spectacular recovery even when it was attacked at its very life system…its very core.

I have seen people like this, too. They have been terribly abused or devastated — hurt in the very core of their being. While others curl up and die inside, filling their lives with bad choices and even worse consequences, they are the resilient ones. The ones who refuse to let someone else destroy their life. And so they limp along trying to live life, bleeding and bruised, turning to the Lord in their grief and pain, until one day they send forth a bloom. And then another one. Until we can see that they have defied the odds and are living an amazing life that is truly blessed, because of one simple decision: they refused to give in to bitterness and fear.

When we submit ourselves to God and release our anger and unforgiving spirit, no matter what the situation – abuse, betrayal, death, disease — we give ourselves the opportunity to bloom again. If we hang on to it, we will stay closed up and dormant, eventually dying inside. I know a lady like this. It breaks my heart. She went through a terrible tragedy many years ago. All of these years later, she is still often in tears and bitter words spew from her mouth. She has chosen not to move on. I feel for her children. They live with a mom who lives in the past. Her world is still so incredibly dark. But I don’t judge her – who knows what I would do in her situation? There, but for the grace of God, go I. I just feel so sorry for her.

As I think of the two contrasts — those who move on and those who don’t — it isn’t hard to see that how we respond to difficulty can absolutely change the outcome of our lives. I don’t know what you’ve been through and you don’t know what I’ve been through. May we provide each other with much grace and Christian love as we all work through the tough stuff in life. But, most importantly, may we grab onto the grace and mercy of Jesus and let go of the bitterness and anger. Only then will we live a life that brings glory to God.