RepaiRED

Our church, North Metro, started a new sermon series called RED. It covers Jesus words, written in red in the Bible, mostly throughout the sermon on the mount.

RepairRED was about forgiveness. It focused on Matthew 5.  Paul Alexander, our pastor, stated that relationships are where we experience the most pain.  He asked us if we treat relationships in a flippant manner?  Do we de-friend people or dispose of friends on a regular basis. I had to admit that I do de-friend people on Facebook! :)

He referenced Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Able. Paul discussed how you have to be careful with your feelings because those feelings can explode into a bigger problem and take control of your life. This struck a cord with me..because I am guilt of not dealing with feelings and holding on for too long.

Paul mentioned that relationships can be destroyed by words (Matt 5:22).  His tips for dealing with forgiveness are as follows:  1.  Be careful of the feelings in your heart -- these can be indicators of future sin  2.  Be careful of your words, for they can destroy (James 1:19, Ephesians 4: 28-29) 3.  Repair broken relationships and settle matters quickly (Matt 5:25).

How do we do this?  We submit our hearts to the Lord, and we beg others for forgiveness.

How I put this sermon into action:  I realized during this sermon that I had been holding onto anger and hurt for things that I had happened to me many years ago, mostly by family members. So I decided to start submitting my heart and begging for forgiveness. 

I started with my mom. I discussed with her things that I had happened in my childhood that have made me who I am today. We spent a long time talking about the past and how it affects our future.  We both asked each other for forgiveness and expressed our commitment to grow in our relationship. :)

I have many other people to talk to, but I am glad that this conversation was successful!