To Beg or Not to Beg………. For Forgiveness (That is the Question)

It’s been a while…

So, for those of you who saw my FB post on June 19th about the forgiveness of Joseph, this is just a continuation of the Joseph conversation. For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to see that post please take a moment to check out THE Writer’s Pen, Angel FB page and take a look at the status post on June 19th!

 Today’s reading was Genesis 50, focusing on verses 15-21.

“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?’ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, ‘ Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating  you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.’ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. ‘We are your slaves,’ they said. But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

 Isn’t it interesting how when folk do you wrong and you’ve (by the grace of God) been able to TRULY forgive them and even become a blessing to them, they still carry around a guilty conscience? When we’ve done wrong to someone and have NEVER taken the opportunity to SAY, “I’m sorry,” it can eat away at us, even if the person(s) has forgiven us. It’s one thing to act apologetically and try to get back into the good graces of a person, or even to act like it never happened, but to swallow our pride and put someone else ahead of ourselves by VERBALIZING an apology; by VERBALLY acknowledging that you are aware that you mistreated this person, you hurt this person and that you are TRULY regretful about what you did; that’s a whole different story.

So, the first line of questioning that I’m asked by this text, and I pray you’ll allow God to ask you the same questions, is: 1) Have I wronged someone and known that I hurt this person? If so, am I truly sorry about the way I’ve treated that person? (if no, then perhaps the prayer that needs to be prayed is that God would cause you to understand the severity of your actions so that you can come to a place of apology). Have I VERBALLY apologized to that person or just tried via my actions to get back into their good graces? (Here’s the doozie) Am I willing to swallow my pride and put someone else ahead of myself by VERBALLY APOLOGIZING to this person and expressing my regret for the way that I’ve treated them?

-Now THAT’s a hard pill to swallow… the ‘Pride Pill’!!!

The second line of questioning I’m asked by the text is: On the flip side of that; when someone has wronged me and I’ve truly forgiven them to the point where I actually take the opportunity to be led of God to bless them (again, see the FB status from June 19th); when their guilty conscience arises and they are led to confess what they’ve done in sincere apology to me…… Am I willing to NOT take the “pride road” by throwing it up in their face and exacerbating the situation? Am I willing to KINDLY (read the text Genesis 50:15-21) reassure them that they have been forgiven WITHOUT an air of superiority or arrogance or self-righteousness (that’s a hurt piece)! Am I mature enough in my relationship with Christ to recognize that we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood; the enemy can use ANYONE and he often will use those closest to us! Am I secure enough in my relationship with Christ to know and understand that ALL things work together for the good of those that LOVE the Lord and are called according to HIS purpose? So, am I able to rejoice even when folk have hurt me recognizing that, as Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…” Am I able to see God’s hand working even in the crappy and hurtful situations and am I able to do as Christ and look beyond the faults of someone else, look beyond what they did to hurt me and see them through the eyes of forgiveness; because this is EXACTLY what Christ does for us!

Conversation Piece: Have you ever been on either side of this scenario? If you care to, let’s talk about how you handled it; if you wish you would’ve handled it differently; do you think that right now where you are in your walk with Christ you WOULD handle it differently? C’mon, let’s talk about it folks! Then pass this post on and start the conversation with your family and friends!

And, by all means, if you find yourself in the place of not wanting to swallow that ‘pride pill’ (we’ve ALL been there), feel free to hit me up and ask me to agree in prayer with you that God would work on that pride piece. All other prayer requests are welcome too! So, let’s talk folks!

Bless God and God Bless,

THE Writer’s Pen,

Angelique

#beg #post #regret #wrong #FB #good #prayer #Joseph #kindly #apology #Genesis #Facebook #regretful #status #mature #God #sorry #pray #forgive #pride #grudge #secure #apologetic