By Katy Mariotti
Forgiveness and Gratitude
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 English Standard Version
We live in the foothills of Colorado, and around our house we frequently have bears. I actually love having the bears and seeing them pass our security camera on the driveway. Living among bears requires being “bear aware” though. In our area you can actually be fined for attracting bears, and one of the ways to attract them is to leave your trash where they can access it. Bears love trash!
On a recent morning, my kids and I exited the house and discovered trash strewn along the street. OUR trash. I was so irritated and must admit the temptation hit me to just leave it there. We’re pretty careful to not leave our trash out, but what had happened on this morning was that the trash company that was supposed to pick it up the day before never came. So whose fault was the trash on the street? At the time it felt like the trash company’s fault for not picking it up when they should have. But it was also the bear’s fault, for getting into our trash. And it was our fault for leaving the trash can out.
Playing the blame game can go on and on. We could go further and blame ourselves for being wasteful. We could blame ourselves for living in a place where bears live. We could blame our society for being such a wasteful one. We could blame our ancestors for developing society into what it is. Do you see what I mean? What it all comes down to is that we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. And thankfully we have a God who loves us and forgives us. He also calls us to forgive others. So instead of blaming, what can I do? I can clean up the trash that is still on the street (which I did), learn for next time, and move on. Not only can I move on, but I can move on in gratitude, thankful to live in a beautiful place, among the bears, and that trash collectors take our trash away every week!
Forgiveness is not always easy, especially in more serious situations. But I am grateful we have a God who continues to forgive us and who lets us have fresh chances to try again. Amen!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
